Honey Gold
by kittencaboodle
Summary: Set after Life Serial. Spike finds out Buffy's been working somewhere she shouldn't be, and tries to help. Rated M for language and content. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly, so don't sue me, pretty please!

Summary: After Life Serial, Spike finds out Buffy's been working somewhere... When he tries to help, they stumble into something else. Spuffy deliciousness and fluff, with a teeny tiny bit of angst and plot thrown in. Enjoy!

~Kitten

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-1-

"DAWN! You're going to be late for school again! Get your ass down here!" Buffy finished making the sandwich for Dawn's lunch, muttering to herself. "If she doesn't get down here, I swear to God-"

"Din't know you were religious, pet," a husky British voice said from behind her. Buffy didn't even bother turning around.

"Spike. Couldn't pick a less flammable time of day to bother me?" She slipped Dawn's lunch into a bag, finally turning around. Dawn was still a no-show, so she stomped over to the staircase.

"I'm serious Dawn! If you aren't down here in ten seconds I'm coming up there and hauling you out half-dressed!" Spike marveled at the volume that girl could yell at.

"She'll get down here," Spike said calmly. Buffy waited the aforementioned ten seconds before bellowing again.

"Dawn! Get the fuck down here!" Dawn's hurried steps were suddenly heard.

"I'm coming!" she cried. She sounded scared, and Spike had to admit he was a bit too. He'd never heard Buffy talk like that. He liked it.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't find my shoes," Dawn said, racing down the stairs. Buffy handed her the lunch bag as she dashed out the door.

"If you get another detention, you're grounded for a month," Buffy threatened. Dawn nodded as she ran towards school.

"Well that was interesting," Spike commented, leaning against a wall. "Din't know you talked like that, Goldilocks."

"Apparently you don't know much about me, Spike," she snapped, then frowned. She didn't really want to be mad at Spike; it was just so easy to be. He was always so nice to her, even though she knew that was just so he could get closer to getting in her pants. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair.

"I know your favorite color is red," Spike murmured. "I know you hate when Dawn gets anchovies on her pizza. And I remember from that spell Red did years ago that you taste like honey when I kiss you. And I know you're not really mad at the Bit."

"She's had detention three times this month," she said, looking up at him. "She's always late. Her grades are terrible, and on top of all that, Social Services called me yesterday." Spike's jaw dropped.

"They're taking her away?" His heart was breaking.

"They're 'concerned'," she said, air quoting. "They're going to keep an eye on her school records, and inspect the house soon. And they said that if I don't get a job that sticks, they'll send her to my dad."

"Over my dead body," Spike said. Dawn had told him all about the Summers patriarch.

"Your dead body can't do anything about it," she said. "Maybe it would be better if she went with him. At least she'd be taken care of."

"Buffy, you take fine care of her," he said, taking a step towards her. She instinctively stepped back. His jaw tightened and he took another step. Her back was to the wall, leaving her with no way out as he cornered her.

"What do you want, Spike?" she demanded.

"To talk, Slayer," he growled.

"We did talk," she said, walking up the stairs. "You can let yourself out, right?" Spike chased after her, stomping up the stairs. Buffy slammed her bedroom door behind her, and Spike went to rip it open. However, the huge metal crucifix that she had hung on her door smacked him in the face, sending him recoiling back into the wall.

"Bitch," he growled. Muttering every curse he knew, he slinked away and out of the house.

"Buffy, do you want to go Bronzing tonight?" Buffy's best friend, lesbian, and witch Willow looked up at her friend hopefully.

"Can't," Buffy said. "I, uh, found a job today, and I've got to work tonight."

"Ooh! Where?" Willow asked excitedly.

"That all-night diner on 10th St," Buffy answered. The diner she mentioned was a dive, close to the docks, and frequented by disgusting dockworkers and fishermen. No one reputable ever stepped foot inside.

"Why there?" Willow asked, wrinkling her nose.

"It was the only place that would hire me for swing shift," Buffy said, shrugging. "I have to patrol at night, and I'd like to be home to send Dawn to school, and sleeping sometime would be nice."

"But it's only temporary, right?" Willow asked.

"It's for as long as it needs to be," Buffy hedged. "Look, I've got to go; my shift starts in an hour." She turned and headed out the door. Willow was concerned, but she didn't say anything. Since Buffy had been back, she'd been so worried about everything, money, the house, Dawn's grades and school attendance. If this job helped, Willow would keep her mouth shut about it, even though Buffy was _way_ better than Flo's 24-hour diner. She just hoped Buffy wouldn't get hurt working there.

Spike took a long drag on his cigarette, walking down a dark alley. The strip club he liked wasn't exactly on Sunnydale's main drag, so it took a little detour to get there. But it was _worth_ it. The girls were always the best, and there were few demons, so he was unlikely to get into a fight there. Plus they had good booze, and had he mentioned the girls? With a nod to the doorman, a big black guy named Terrence, Spike ducked into the dark club. He hung near the back, giving a wave to the bartender. He took a seat at his usual table, looking towards the center stage.

There was a new girl dancing. _Lovely._ Long blonde hair cascaded down her back as she writhed against the pole in the center of the stage. Her g-string and bra were both black and stood in sharp contrast with her creamy skin. She wasn't tall, but that was aided by at least six-inch heels. Her back was to him, so all he could see were her perfect, shapely legs and a fantastic ass. She reached for the pole, swinging around as the bartender brought Spike his usual. He took a long drink as she turned to face the bar. And then he choked.

"Buffy," he breathed. He barely recognized her, but she was definitely his Slayer. She was wearing about two pounds more makeup than usual, and her hair was curled and teased. Then there was the fact that he'd never seen her in so little clothing. She turned toward him, reaching for the clasp of her bra. She must have seen him, because she froze, one hand still behind her back. Spike couldn't handle it anymore, so he stood and turned away. Smacking a bill on the bar, he stalked out, fuming.

"What the bloody hell does she think she's doing?" he ranted. She didn't need to be in a place like that. Not his girl, his Slayer. She was better than that; she was far above dancing for dollars from lecherous men. Men who probably copped a feel when they paid her. Men who she didn't fight back against. She was his Golden Goddess, his Buffy. And she was taking off her clothes in some dank, dirty pub. He roared in anger, frustration, and utter heartbreak. Shifting into Game Face, he threw his arm at a wall, shattering the brick with his fist. He felt bones break, but the pain was far less than the one that was gripping his cold, dead heart.

God, he'd seen her. He'd been there, watching. How long had he been there? Had he seen her entire dance? God, he was probably drooling as she took off her clothes. And he was most likely busting a gut over the name she'd picked for herself. Honey Gold. What the hell was she thinking when she'd come up with that? He told her when he'd kissed her during Willow's spell that she'd tasted like honey. And he was always ranting about her golden locks. _My Golden Goddess_. Maybe it was her subconscious talking when she'd taken the job at the bar. She knew that Spike went to strip clubs, because hello, he was a perv. _You work at a strip club, what does that make you?_

"You okay, Honey?" one of the other dancers, a woman named Trixie, asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Buffy said. "Uh, there was just- this guy I know was here."

"Ooh, yeah, that's hard," Trixie said. "He a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, we're close," Buffy said absentmindedly, pulling on her jeans. She snapped out of her trance, realizing what she'd said. "I- I don't mean that the way it sounded. We work together, um, a-at my other job."

"Hey, babydoll, you don't have to explain nothin' to me," Trixie said. Buffy turned to smile at the woman, then realized Trixie was naked. Blushing furiously, Buffy turned back around, grabbing her coat.

"See you tomorrow," she called, ducking out the back door. Her first day was done, and surprisingly, it wasn't as demeaning and humiliating as she'd thought. She wasn't crazy about the lap dances- she didn't like being that close to strange men- but the on-stage thing was okay. She could just kinda zone out, stop thinking. No one existed, she was just dancing around. She even zoned out during the lap dances, picturing someone else's hands, cold as ice, touching her. Someone else's breath, smelling like liquor and smoke and leather and a touch of cinnamon. Someone else was murmuring in her ear, telling her she was beautiful, perfect, _effulgent_. Ice blue eyes stared at her as she ground into a hard body.

_God, you're stupid_, a little voice in her head murmured. _He was there. He saw you. And he walked away. _

"Spike?" she asked, walking a little ways down the alley. Her vampire- _Not yours! _Her inner voice yelled. _The_ vampire was slumped against the brick wall, cradling one hand against his chest. The hand was bruised and bleeding.

"What happened?" she asked, kneeling at his side. His unfocused eyes were staring at the wall opposite her. She looked to see the hole in the wall. "Oh," she said. "Spike? You there?"

"Why are you doing that?" he asked, very, very quietly.

"Why am I doing what?" she asked, examining his hand. "Spike, I think this is broken."

"It is," he said absently. "Why are you working there?"

"I have to," she said quietly, resigned. His eyes snapped to life at that, glaring daggers at her.

"Someone holding a gun to your head?" he asked sarcastically. "You're better than that, Buffy."

"Yeah? Maybe I'm not," she said, pulling a tissue out of her purse and wiping away the blood on his hand. He yanked it away, grabbing her chin with his good hand.

"You're above _that_," he growled. "You don' need-"

"I _do_ need," she cut in angrily. "Tell me something, Spikey. Where the hell else am I going to make $500 a night? Huh? Where am I going to be able to make that kind of money? Working at a diner? A store?"

"We could find you a place-" his desperate face was heartrending.

"_We_ can't do anything," she said. She stood, stepping back from him, and he climbed to his feet as well. "There is no other place, Spike. There's no other place where I can make enough money to pay all the bills, put Dawn through school, put food on the table, and still be able to fight as the Slayer."

"Luv, I can get you money," he pleaded. "Please, don't go back there."

"Are you telling me what to do?" she said, her eyes hard. "I'm sorry; I thought you were _Spike_, not _Angel_."

Spike slapped her, hard, with his injured hand. He cried out in pain as the bones re-broke against her skin. She gasped, her hands flying to her face.

"I'm sorry, luv, god, I'm so sorry," he said as soon as he realized what he'd done. Buffy's face hardened and her fist flew forward, connecting with his jaw and sending him flying.

"Stay the hell away from me, Spike," she said. "Don't come near me, or you'll end up a pile of ash." He lay in a heap near the place she'd found him. Ignoring his pain, which she'd been worried about before, she turned on heel and took off towards home.

The next day was uneventful. Willow had asked about work, Buffy had lied, and Dawn had actually gotten to school on time. When Buffy went to the club that afternoon for her shift, the boss told her she was one of his most promising girls.

_Great, just what I want to be: the best stripper in town_, she thought sarcastically. She'd danced more than the night before, not wanting to give any lap dances.

"Hey, Honey," the boss, Barney, said, walking through the dressing room. He was probably the only man on earth that could walk through a roomful of naked women and not cop a feel on one of them.

"You got a request," he said. "Guy wants a private show."

"What's the guy look like?" asked one of the other dancers, Buffy couldn't remember her name.

"Billy Idol-lookin' guy. Pale," he said.

"I can't," Buffy choked out.

"You _can't?_" the boss asked. "You _will_ go out there and dance. The guy laid down a grand to see you, and only you. He said he'd wait all night if he had to so he could see you. So you will go out there and do whatever the hell he wants."

"Yes, sir," Buffy said, ducking her head and walking out the door. She was wearing an extremely tight and low-cut black dress today and strappy stiletto heels. When she stepped out of the dressing room, she immediately saw Spike. He was sitting at the table he'd been at last night, his chair pulled away from the table. She slipped quietly over to his table, standing in front of him and staring at her shoes.

"You paid for a dance?" she asked quietly.

"Luv, you don' have to," he said. "I just wanted to talk to you. And I din't want anyone else paying for a dance."

"If I don't dance, my boss will come over here and ream me," she said, moving to sit on his lap. "So do us both a favor. Shut up and don't pretend you aren't enjoying this."

She moved on top of him, pressing her back to his chest and grinding her ass against his groin. She turned so she was facing him, letting him get a full view of the way her dress clung to her breasts for dear life. She writhed astride him, throwing her head back so she didn't have to look him in the eye. He looked like someone was killing him. He wasn't touching her. The hand he'd injured yesterday hung limply to the side as his good hand gripped the table with splintering force. She focused on the feel of his body underneath hers. She felt the hardness of his chest, the firm muscle of his legs. She _didn't_ feel the insatiable hardness of his arousal.

"I would have thought this would make you hard," she murmured, still grinding against him.

"This isn't how I want you, Buffy," he said. "This was never the way I wanted to touch you." Buffy stopped then, looking him full in the face.

"Buffy, please, let me take you home," he pleaded. He looked close to tears. "You don't deserve this. To have men- Please, luv, I can get you money if you need it. Jus'… not this. Please, never this."

Buffy's eyes welled over and hot, tragic tears fell down her face. Spike's arms finally moved around her, pressing her to him in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, pressing her face into his chest. "I didn't know what else to do. I can't do this by myself."

"You're not by yourself, luv," he said. "Pet, all you had to do was ask. Please, let me take you home."

"Please," she begged, standing. She took his hand, leading him to the dressing room with her. She didn't change her clothes, just grabbed her jeans and tennis shoes and threw them into her bag. Spike didn't take his eyes off her, even though there were a half-dozen mostly-naked women around him. She turned back to him, and he slipped off his duster. Wrapping it around her shoulders, he led her out of the dressing room and towards the door.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" her boss yelled grabbing Buffy's arm and spinning her around. Buffy let her fist fly, shattering the man's nose.

"I quit, you bastard," she snarled, her tears still falling. Spike wound an arm around her shoulders, towing her gently towards the exit. The music was thudding in her ears, giving her a splitting headache. She nearly cried in relief when the cool night air washed over her outside.

"C'mon, pet," Spike murmured, taking her hand. "I'll take you home."

"I can't…" she started. Spike turned and looked down at her. Though, in her heels, she was only a couple inches shorter than him.

"I can't go home dressed like this," she said. "Willow- they'll ask questions."

"'Kay," he said. "I'll take you to my place so you can change. Is that okay?"

Buffy nodded, and Spike turned around again, this time heading for Restfield Cemetery. Buffy walked close to him, curling into his side. She reminded him of a little girl at that moment: scared and looking for comfort. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. Once they'd gotten out of the main part of town, Buffy paused to take off her shoes, holding them loosely in her hand. Barefoot, the top of her head barely came up to his shoulder. They walked slowly to Spike's crypt, still holding onto each other. It was the closest he'd ever been to her, and he was basking in her nearness. She smelled like vanilla and honey.

Spike's arms were so solid around her. Like nothing could get at her when he was holding her. And he smelled so _good_. He smelled divinely male, but it was distinct, not the generic musk her other boyfriends had. As they approached his crypt, Buffy didn't want to let him go.

"Go on in, luv," he said. "I'll wait out here while you change." Buffy nodded, a little shocked at his chivalry. She stepped inside the crypt, dropping her shoes on the floor. She pulled her dress off over her head, dropping it in a heap on the floor. She pulled on her blue jeans and t-shirt. Sitting on the floor, she started to pull on her tennis shoes.

Spike listened carefully for sounds inside the crypt. Vampire hearing came in handy every once in awhile. He heard the rustle of clothing, and the sound of her sitting down. Then he heard her heartbeat speed up, and her breathing coming in short, sobbing gasps. Opening the door, he took in her form on the floor, sobbing into her hands. He knelt next to her, drawing her close to him.

"Shh, sweetling," he purred. "It's all right."

"What am I going to tell my friends?" she asked, throwing her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder. "What am I going to tell Dawn? The way they'll look at me…" She broke down again.

"You'll tell them you were doing what you thought you had to," Spike said gently. He shifted so she was sitting in his lap, his arms cradling her close to him. "They'll understand. An' if they look at you wrong, I'll eat 'em. Give me a headache, but I'll do it."

Buffy laughed weakly, her tears subsiding.

"There we go," he murmured, brushing her hair away from her face. "Stop cryin' now, luv. You're breakin' my heart."

"I'm sorry," Buffy said. "God, I'm so sorry for everything."

"You've got nothin' to be sorry for, pet," he said. "You din't do anything wrong."

"How can you say that?" she asked, pushing back from him. "_You_ couldn't even look at me."

"I left yesterday because I was angry at myself, luv, not you," he said. "I should have been there, realized you were in trouble. God, Buffy, all the things I said about wanting to save you when you fell, and I din't even notice you were drowning." Buffy's tears started all over again, and Spike pulled her back to him, smoothing her hair down under his hands. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, rubbing her back with one hand.

"You shouldn't… I don't need you to take care of me, Spike," she said.

"If I don', who's going to?" he asked rationally. "You saved the world, your bloody stupid friends, your kid sister, and my arse so many times, but when was the last time anyone did anything for you without asking anything?"

"You're _not_ asking anything?" she countered. She pulled back to look him in the face. "You aren't doing this because you want to get in my pants?"

"I told you that wasn't the way I wanted you," he said. "I love you. I'll keep sayin' that till you get it, girl. And for the record, no, I don't want anything from you."

"Then why do you keep saying that you love me? And why are you helping me?" she asked.

"I tell you I love you so that you'll know it," he said, brushing his hand over her hair. "You need to know that there's someone who loves you, Buffy. I love you because I do. There's no reason for it, I just do. and I'm helping you because if you'd stop bein' so damned prideful for one bleedin' second, you'd realize you actually need the help."

"I'm so sorry, Spike," she said, pressing her hands to her eyes. "I'm... I'm just- I can't do this."

"You can, luv," he said. "Look, I can' really help you make the Bit go to school- _I_ couldn't even make her be on time- but I can help with the money stuff."

"I don't want you to steal from people to pay my bills," she said sternly. "I'll find a job somewhere else."

"Would you be opposed to me paying your bills with money stolen from people who died a hundred years ago?" he asked, brushing away the remnants of her tears. Her makeup was smeared over her face, her eyeliner everywhere.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, see, there may have been a rash of bank robberies at the turn of the century," he said. "And the money from said robberies may be in a bank in Zurich in my name."

"How much money are we talking about here?" she asked. "I mean, aren't those kind of banks reserved for Donald Trump-type people?"

"Enough money to keep you and Dawn in new shoes every day for the rest of your lives," he said.

"Then why do you live in this hell-hole?" she asked, gesturing around her to the dank crypt.

"Because I _like_ this hell-hole," he replied. "And I don' really like that whole vampire-livin-better-than-humans thing. I'm a demon, luv. I'ma act like it."

"So the Big Bad can't have a decent sofa?" she asked, smiling. Spike couldn't take his eyes off of her when she smiled.

"The crap stuff's just up here," he said. "You should see the downstairs. It's quite posh."

"Posh," she said. "God, you're a dork."

"Hey!" he growled. "Take that back."

"No, dork," she said, wiggling in his lap. Spike's arms around her kept her grounded to him. Sitting in his lap now, fully clothed, she could feel the way his body was responding to her. _He's a freak. He doesn't get hard when I'm half-naked on top of him, but he does when I'm wearing more clothes than a nun_.

"We should get you home," he said quietly, one hand rubbing a small circle on her back. Buffy nodded, climbing slowly to her feet. She held out a hand to help him up. He took it, gathering her discarded work clothes once he was standing. Buffy shivered as she watched him. He slipped over to a box next to his refrigerator, grabbing something small and slipping it into his pocket.

"Put the coat back on, luv," he said. "Don' wan' you gettin' sick." She bent to retrieve the duster from the floor, pulling it over her arms.

"It's a bit big on me," she said, turning for him to look. The duster hit the ground at her feet, and the sleeves went far past her wrists. She looked like a child wearing her daddy's coat.

"You're adorable, you know that?" he said suddenly. She laughed, the sound like bells in his ears.

"I'm glad you think so," she said, turning to the door. They walked out together, Spike holding her bundled-up dress and shoes in one hand and her hand in the other. They walked towards the Summers residence in silence, both a little in awe of what was happening. Spike couldn't believe she was actually letting him be this close, Buffy couldn't believe that after everything the last couple of days he could still act the same around her. His behavior hadn't changed a bit, even though he knew this deep, dark secret about her now.

"You'll always be the same to me, Buffy," he said quietly, as if reading her thoughts. "I'll always look at you the same way. You're still my Slayer."

"Thank you," she whispered. "You have no idea what that means to me right now." They'd come to the porch of her house. Spike sighed, holding her clothes out to her.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked shyly. "I just…"

"You just what, pet?" he asked, quirking his head to one side.

"I don't want to be alone," she murmured. "I just- will you just stay with me till I fall asleep?" she looked up at him hopefully. "If you have something to do, I get it. I'm being really selfish and needy right now."

"I'll be here till you throw me out, pet," he said, opening the door for her. Peeking inside the dark house, Buffy slipped the duster from her shoulders, hanging it on the coat rack. _Everyone must be asleep._

They moved quietly upstairs, their footsteps barely making a sound. Buffy pushed open her bedroom door, leading Spike in by the hand. He set her clothes down on her dresser, turning to her expectantly.

"I changed my mind," she said. Spike schooled his features not to look heartbroken.

"Will you spend the night?" she asked, so quiet he wouldn't have heard it if he was human. A slow, ecstatic smile spread over his lips.

"Of course, pet," he said.

"I think I have something you can wear to sleep in," she said, knowing he usually slept naked. "I bought them for Xander's birthday but then found something better, so I never gave them to him." She pulled out a pair of flannel pajama pants and handed them to him.

"Whelp never wore them did he?" Spike asked, taking the pajamas from her gingerly.

"No one wore them," she said. "No, scratch that, I think I wore them once." Spike barely resisted the urge to hold the pants up to smell her scent on them.

"You can change in here, I'll go into the bathroom," she said, grabbing her own pajamas and padding out of the room. She slipped quietly into the bathroom and changed her clothes. When she walked back to her room, she knocked softly.

"Yeah," Spike murmured. Opening the door, she saw him, sitting cautiously on the side of the bed, which he'd turned down for her. He was shirtless, and he gave those pants more justice than she had. She was wearing a teeny tank top and shorts.

"You sure about this, kitten?" he asked, running a tentative hand through his hair. This loosened the gel somewhat, making his platinum-blonde curls escape their confines.

"I really don't want to be alone," she said, moving to the bed. "If you don't want to, you don't have-"

"I won't leave you alone, sweetling," he said, reaching for her hand. She gave it to him, letting him pull her into the bed. He settled in next to her, close but not touching her.

"You can touch me, you know," she whispered, scooting back so her back was pressed to his chest. He slid an arm around her, pulling her hips back towards him.

"I just din't want to push anything, luv," he said.

"Why do you always do that?" she asked quietly.

"Do what, pet?" he asked.

"Every time you say something, you end with one of those nicknames I tell you never to call me," she said. "Like pet, and luv, and sweetling."

"You forgot kitten," he said. "I dunno, 's just what I do."

"I like it," she said. "I know I say I hate it, but I don't really. So long as you actually _do_ know my name."

"Buffy Anne Summers," he said. "And your birthday is January 19th."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"I pay attention, kitten," he said. "I have a remarkable attention span."

"Yeah, sure," she said. "This coming from the guy was going to kill me on Saturday but ended up attacking parent-teacher night and getting clobbered by my mom."

"I got bored," he said defensively. Buffy laughed, the motion of it tickling his chest. He pulled her closer to him, so every inch of her back was touching him.

"Go to sleep, attention-boy," she said, yawning broadly. "I'm tired."

"Sleep, sweetheart," he said, running a hand over her hair. He rubbed her arm, then down to her side, then her hip and the top of her leg. Within moments he felt her breathing even out, and he knew she was asleep. The tension had eased out of her face, leaving her looking blissfully innocent. In moments, she had transformed from hardened warrior to a normal young woman in need of comfort and protection.

"I'll keep you safe while you sleep, kitten," he whispered in her ear.

-TBC-


	2. Chapter 2

I still own nothing.

-2-

Buffy woke up the next morning with her face cuddled into Spike's chest. As she opened her eyes, she froze, trying to remember why he was there. The events of the night before came flooding back, and for some reason she felt a strong urge to hug him tighter to her. She heard the sounds of her housemates coming to life in the morning, so she slid gently out of bed. Spike's eyes shot open, looking for her, and he grabbed her arm. He wasn't really awake yet, but his grip on her wrist was tight nonetheless.

"I'm just going to get some food," she said, leaning back over him. She kissed his forehead gently before she truly realized what she was doing. _That's going to be interesting to explain_. "Go back to sleep. I'll be back in a little while."

Spike's eyes drifted closed, and Buffy tiptoed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She padded downstairs to the kitchen, where Dawn, Tara, and Willow were making breakfast.

"There she is," Willow remarked as Buffy came in and sat down at the counter. "Sleep well?"

"Very," Buffy answered honestly. Sleeping next to Spike had probably been her best night of sleep since she'd come back from the dead.

"Why is Spike's duster here?" Dawn asked, pouring a glass of orange juice for Buffy. "It's hanging on the coat rack. Did he leave it the last time he was here?"

"Uh, I was cold, so I borrowed it after we went patrolling," Buffy said, shrugging. Not really a lie. "I'll give it back to him later. What are your plans for the day?"

"School," Dawn said. "Don't worry, I'll be there on time."

"I'm not worried," Buffy said. "But we need to talk about your grades, Dawnie. If you're having trouble, we can get you a tutor."

"We can tutor her," Tara suggested. "Willow can help in math and science, and you can ask Giles for English and history."

"I could ask Spike for history help," Dawn said. "I mean, he was there for a lot of it."

"I don't really care who you ask," Buffy said. "But you need to focus on school. So until your grades are better, your phone time is cut down to one hour a night and no going out with Janice on school nights."

"That sounds reasonable," Willow said. Dawn sighed heavily.

"Do I still get TV?" she asked.

"After your homework is done," Buffy conceded. "And how about this: if you bring home two A's and two B's, I'll let you go on that Spring Break trip with Janice and her parents."

"Awesome!" Dawn squealed, jumping to throw her arms around her sister. "I'll try really hard, Buffy, I promise."

"Okay, go get to school, you," Buffy said, planting a kiss on the top of Dawn's head.

"Love you!" Dawn called, running out the door.

"We're off to school too," Willow said. "Do you work tonight?"

"Uh, no, actually, I quit," Buffy said, looking down at her lap. She wasn't ready to tell them about what job she was actually working yet. "I just couldn't do it another day."

"Oh thank goodness," Willow said. "We were so going to have an intervention to get you out of there. You'll find some place that's not a nasty diner."

"Yeah, I'll work on it," Buffy said noncommittally. She had decided last night before she asked Spike to stay the night that she would take him up on his offer. Let him pay off her bills, just to get her on her feet for a couple months so she could find a respectable job.

"Okay, well we're off to class," Willow said. "We'll be home later, okay?"

"Yep, I'll be here," Buffy said. Willow and Tara smiled broadly at her and walked away, towards the front door.

Buffy hung out in the kitchen for almost an hour, cleaning up after the breakfast mess and washing the dishes leftover from last night's dinner. Then she moved into the living room, tidying up anything she saw out of place. She did whatever she could to avoid going back upstairs. Upstairs meant Spike. Spike meant emotions and thoughts she didn't really want to face at the moment. She sat down on the bottom step of her staircase and let her head fall into her hands.

What was she thinking last night? Begging Spike to stay the night like she was some pathetic little girl. But it had felt so good having him next to her while she slept, her own personal watchdog making her feel safe. _He made me feel safe_. And he'd gotten her out of that hell-hole, _and_ was going to pay her bills. Why was she so mean to him, again?

"Whatcha doin', pet?" his voice at the top of the stairs made her turn.

"Playing soccer, duh," she said, smiling up at him. "I was thinking."

"Uh-oh, wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," he joked, descending the stairs. He had changed back into his own clothes: black jeans, black t-shirt, beat-up boots that weren't laced. His hair was still sleep-mussed, making his platinum curls stand up. His hair and the fact that he was not completely put together ruined his attempt at looking intimidating, leaving him looking less like the Big Bad and more like the guy next door. _Well, not quite the guy next door. Pretty sure they don't bite._

"You're a funny guy," she sniped. She stood up to let him past her, shivering slightly when he touched her arm with his. He slipped into the dining room and sat down at the table, propping his feet up.

"Get your feet off my table," she said, sitting across from him. His boots fell to the floor with a thud. "Why are we sitting at my dining table?"

"Go get those bills that need paid, Buff," he said. "Let's get this all settled."

"Spike…" she sighed heavily. "Thank you. You really don't have to do this."

"What kind of man would I be if I din't take care of my best girls?"

"Best _girls?"_ she asked. "Who are they?"

"Red and the Niblet, o'course," he said, smiling at her. "Now. Go get those bills, luv." Buffy stood and padded into the kitchen, retrieving her stack of bills. Spike went to the door, pulling something small out of his jacket pocket.

"Is that… a checkbook?" Buffy asked.

"How did you expect me to pay your bills?" he asked, sitting back down at the table. This time Buffy sat next to him, pulling her chair close to his.

"Well, it's just so… weird. Big Bad with a checkbook," she giggled, setting the bills down in front of him. Spike glanced at them all before pulling out a pen and signing checks. Buffy watched, a little in awe as he worked. It just looked so… normal. Like he did this sort of thing every day.

"So, if you've got all this money stashed away, why do you always have to steal from Xander to pay your bar tab?" Buffy asked. "And why can you never pay your kitten poker debts?"

"Stealing from the whelp is fun," he replied. "Ya ever notice how his face turns lots of different colors when he yells at me?"

"And the poker debts?" she pressed.

"Those blokes cheat," he said defensively.

"_You_ cheat," she argued.

"'s not the point," he said. "I refuse to pay anyone who's better 'n me at cheating."

"You're a dork," she said, sitting back in her chair.

"You've said this before," he said, signing another check. "There. Done. You're all paid up for the year."

"The year?!" Buffy cried, snatching the pile of bills away from him. He had paid for all of her utilities for the year _and_ paid off her mortgage.

"Spike, no, this is too much, I can't accept it," she pushed the pile back at him. "Please. I thought you were only going to pay the bills for this month?"

"Then what happens next month, luv?" he asked. "When the bills come in again past due? You think I'm just going to let you go back there again when you need some money?"

"Spike," Buffy sighed. "I won't go back there, I promise. But I can't let you do this."

"Hey," he said, touching her chin to force her head up. "I'm not askin' anything from you. Just, please, let me take care of you, Buffy. Let me get you and Dawnie on your feet for a bit, ease that worry you been carryin' 'round."

"I don't know how to thank you, William," she said, lifting a hand to his face. She leaned in, kissing him gently on the cheek. "I won't forget this."

"Anytime, sweetling," he said, smiling softly at her. "Now, what are we gon' do for the rest of the day?"

"I dunno," she said, shrugging. "Pretty much the only thing to do that doesn't involve sunlight and a dusty ending is watching TV."

"Then let's watch TV," Spike said, standing and taking her hand. Leading her into her own living room, he sat down with her on the couch and picked up the remote.

"Looks like the only thing on is _The Price is Right_." Spike sighed melodramatically.

"Leave it on, sometimes it's funny," Buffy said, bringing her knees up to her chest. Spike looked over at her clenching form and sighed.

"Stretch out, luv, make yourself comfortable," he said, scooting to one end of the sofa. Buffy looked over at him, debating whether or not she should do as he asked. Eventually, her want for comfort won out and she stretched out on the couch, curling her legs so her feet were resting next to Spike's thigh. Spike let his hand rest on her calf, feeling the smooth skin of her leg. He was surprised that she didn't flinch away. Buffy yawned broadly, her eyes drifting closed.

"You din't sleep long enough last night," Spike commented, looking down at her. He rubbed her calf gently.

"Probably not," she agreed. "I'm just going to take a little cat-nap, okay?"

"D'you mind if I nap too?" he asked. "Creature of the night, here, yeah?"

"Go ahead," she said. "Do you want to go back upstairs?"

"Here's good," he answered. "Scoot over." Buffy scooted to the very edge of the couch, angling her body so Spike could slide in behind her. She was in danger of falling off, so she twisted, turning to face Spike.

"I won't let you fall," he said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. He rubbed her back gently with one hand, lulling her to sleep within moments.

Dawn and Willow walked into the Summers household, laughing at a joke Xander had just told them. Something about a monkey in a bar. As was their normal routine, they walked through to the kitchen, depositing their bags and jackets along the way, to grab a soda and something to eat. Then, moving on to the living room to watch a few minutes of TV before study time. Today, they froze. Buffy and Spike were lying together on the couch. Buffy was completely on top of Spike with his arms wrapped around her tiny waist. One hand was on the small of her back, the other between her shoulder blades. Buffy's face was buried in the crook of Spike's neck, shielding her from view.

"Uh… Buffy?" Willow called. The blonde didn't wake up. Willow tried again. "Buffy!"

"Spike!" Tara tried. Neither bottle blonde woke up. Dawn, smirking broadly, strode up to them.

"Hey stupid, wake up," she said, swatting Spike on the head. The vampire jerked to life, clinging to Buffy.

"'Lo, Niblet," he said sleepily. He looked around the room, seeing all of Buffy's friends. He tried valiantly to think up an explanation for the position the Scoobies had caught them in, but nothing came to mind.

"Buffy," he murmured. He rubbed her back gently, waking her up. Slowly, she lifted her head from his neck, looking him in the face.

"Luv, I think your friends want to say somethin'," he said, petting her hair. Cautiously schooling her features, she turned to look at her friends, trying to figure out a way to explain this.

"Whatcha doin?" Dawn drawled, perching on the coffee table.

"Invading Poland," Buffy answered drowsily. "What's it look like? I'm sleeping."

"With Spike," Xander cut in. "On top of Spike."

"You're observant," Buffy commented. "Look- where and with whom I sleep with is really none-"

"Who's William Pratt?" Anya cut in from the dining room. She walked into the living room, holding all of the now-paid-for bills.

"Huh?" Xander asked. He took the bills from Anya's hands and looked them over.

"William Pratt," Anya said again. "He signed all those checks. Whoever he is, he's loaded. Can we meet him and then I can sell him lots of expensive things?" Buffy stifled a laugh at Anya's excitement.

"Er, Anya, pet?" Spike said. Anya turned to look at him expectantly. "_I'm_ William Pratt. Well, it was my human name, anyway."

"Where'd you get all this money?" Willow asked, now rifling through the stack. "Spike, there has to be $20,000 in checks here."

"I, er, made some investments," he said casually. Buffy snorted. Spike pinched her side gently, making her squirm atop him.

"What's he mean by that?" Dawn asked.

"He means that he stole it from a lot of banks back in the day," Buffy said, pinching Spike back. Spike squirmed in kind, nearly throwing Buffy off of him.

"Stop it!" she squealed, holding tight to him. "You're gonna make me fall!" Spike immediately stopped squirming and held her tight as he sat up. He shifted her onto the couch next to him, slowly dragging his arm away from her. It wouldn't do for her friends to stake him for touching her.

"So, um, I'm gonna ask the obvious question here," Xander said. His voice was tense, like he was holding himself back. "What the friggin' hell's going on?"

"I've been having some money trouble, you know that," Buffy said.

"Which none of you have been helping with," Spike said, almost under his breath.

"Spike," Buffy chastised gently.

"Well, it's true," he said. "Red, you and Glenda the Good Witch here been payin' rent? You been helpin' out with any of the bills for the electricity you use, the food you eat?"

"Well- I- we-" Willow stammered.

"You've made your point, Spike," Buffy said quietly.

"Don' think I have, luv," he said. "You lot have been ridin' on her coattails. None of you have jobs, but you're expectin' _her_ to get one, on top of savin' your tails every day?" His jaw was clenched in anger. "Bunch of bloody welshers, 's what ya are."

Buffy put one hand on his knee, holding him back. "That's enough," she murmured, looking up at him.

"He's right," Dawn said. "I mean, I'd get a job if I could-"

"Your job is getting your grades up, Dawnie," Buffy interrupted. "Your job is being a teenager. You don't even need to hear about this. You're not worrying about it, okay? It's all taken care of."

"Okay, but Spike's still right," Dawn said. She looked up at Xander and Willow. "You guys took great care of me while Buffy was gone. But now… You guys haven't done anything."

"We'll help," Tara said. "Willow and I can work, help out."

"Everything's paid up for a year," Anya commented, still examining the stack of bills.

"What?" Xander asked, turning to look at his fiancée.

"Spike paid every bill for a year," Anya said again. "Electricity, gas, cable, phone, he even paid off the mortgage on the house."

"I'm gonna go outside for a smoke, luv," Spike murmured, standing.

"Whoa, buddy, you're not going anywhere. Plus, sunlight, remember?" Willow said, standing in his path. "Why would you do that? Buffy's not going to sl-"

"Why don't you let Buffy say what she will or will not do, huh?" the Slayer said quietly.

"Fine," Willow said. "Why, Spike?"

"Well, I sure as hell wasn't going to leave her takin'-" Spike said hotly.

"Spike!" Buffy cut in. He cocked his head back to look at her. She shook her head shortly.

"Leave you taking what, Buffy?" Dawn asked, looking at her sister. "What's he talking about?" Buffy sighed deeply, clenching her jaw.

"I wasn't…" she took a deep breath and tried again. Spike moved back to her side, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I wasn't working at the diner on 10th St."

"Where were you working?" Willow asked.

"Barney's," she said quietly. The four adults drew in identical gasps. Dawn looked on in confusion.

"What's Barney's?" she asked.

"It's a…" Willow trailed off. "Buffy, _why?"_

"I was doing what I had to," Buffy said quietly. "Social Services called. Said if I couldn't pay my bills, they'd take Dawn away."

"They're taking me away?" Dawn cried, on the verge of tears. "Buffy, no, please, I don't want to go."

"You aren't going anywhere," Buffy said, holding her arms out to Dawn. Her sister pressed herself into Buffy's embrace. "We're making sure of that, okay? You're staying right here."

"Buffy, what's Barney's?" Dawn asked again. "Why are they so shocked you worked there?"

"Barney's is…" Buffy looked up at Spike, asking silently for help.

"It's a strip club, Dawnie," Xander said coldly. "Guess it's just a step up from stripper to vampire's whore." Spike moved to kill Xander, but Dawn was faster. She flew from the couch to where Xander was standing. She clocked him hard with a fist to his jaw, knocking him to the ground. Everyone else froze.

"If you ever talk about my sister like that again, I'll kill you," she growled. Xander looked up in shock at her. "Get the fuck out of my house."

"Dawnie, don't cuss," Buffy said calmly. Spike could've laughed at her nonchalance, seeing as her baby sister had nearly knocked out one of her best friends.

"Does anyone else share Xander's opinion?" Dawn asked as Xander climbed to his feet and went to the door. He slammed it behind him. The rest of the Scoobies shook their heads. "Good," Dawn said. "Then you can stay."

"You said you had quit," Willow said, recalling the conversation from that morning. "What happened?"

"Spike got me out," Buffy said quietly. "He… saw me there, and wouldn't let me go back." Dawn launched herself at her favorite vampire, latching her arms securely around Spike's neck.

"Thank you, Spike," she said.

"Anytime, Niblet," Spike murmured, stroking her hair.

"So, does anyone want to go to the Bronze tonight?" Willow asked brightly.

"Um, what?" Buffy asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"Bronze. Us. Loud, music-y goodness," Willow said. "To celebrate Spike surprising the hell out of all of us." Buffy laughed, looking up at Spike. Her vampire looked more than a little confused. He shrugged, still holding on to her little sister.

"I'm in if you are," he said, quirking his scarred eyebrow up.

"What the hell, sure," Buffy said. "Tara, you up for it?

"O-of course," Tara stuttered. "A-Anya?"

"I'll go, of course," Anya said. "Why would I be opposed to human-demon relations? Many happy orgasms to you both."

"Uh… thanks?" Buffy said. "But for the record, Spike and I aren't-"

"Well, of course you aren't _right now_," Anya said. "But trust me, you will. I know these things."

"Hey, innocent ears here," Dawn grumbled, pressing her hands to her ears. "I don't want to hear about orgasms."

"Good, stay that way 'till you're thirty," Spike said, playing the role of big brother.

"Can I go too, Buffy?" Dawn asked, turning to her sister. "I don't have any homework today, I finished it all in study hall. The only thing I have is a test over the Boxer Rebellion next Tuesday."

"I'll tell ya all 'bout that, Lil Bit," Spike said.

"You were there?" Dawn asked.

"First Slayer," he said, almost shamefaced. "But I know all the facts about it."

"'Kay, but first, Bronzing, yes?" Willow pressed.

"Still daylight," Buffy pointed out. She looked down at her clothes. "And I'm still wearing what I slept in last night. We'll go at dusk, when I've taken a shower, 'kay?"

"Dawn?" Anya asked, looking to the youngest Summers. "Do you mind if I go talk to my ass of a fiancée?"

"No, go ahead," Dawn said. "But tell him he's not welcome here until he fixes his attitude. Spike's been part of the family for a long time. He's got to deal with that." Spike turned to look out the window, hiding his elated grin from anyone except Buffy. She smiled in response, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Okay, I'm going to go take a shower," Buffy said, standing. "Willow, would you mind getting all those bills into envelopes? We'll stick them in a mailbox on our way to the Bronze."

"Sure, Buff," Willow said. Buffy turned and walked up the stairs, but she heard Tara faintly ask Spike if he was hungry, offering to run out to the butcher shop for him. Buffy smiled broadly and made her way to the bathroom.

"So, was Spike here this morning when I asked about his coat?" Dawn asked, watching Buffy from the bed as she put on her make-up to go to the Bronze. The Slayer was wearing her bra and panties, a thin robe thrown over her to keep her warm.

"Yeah, he was up here asleep," Buffy answered.

"So you guys _are_ sleeping together?"

"No, not in the way you're thinking," Buffy said. "We- we slept together, but it wasn't- gah. We didn't have sex, okay? I asked him to stay the night. I didn't want to be alone."

"Aw, you're so cute," Dawn said, giggling. "Y'know, it's okay… if you decide you do want to sleep with him. Or date him, or whatever. Xander and maybe Giles might have a problem with it, but if they don't want you to be happy, they don't matter."

"Thank you, Dawnie," Buffy said, standing to give Dawn a hug.

"So, why did you ask Spike to pay our bills?" Dawn asked.

"I didn't ask, he offered," Buffy said. "Well, more like guilted me into it."

"Guilted you into it?" Dawn parroted.

"Oh, you know, he gave me the big sad eyes and told me he loved me and wanted to take care of me," Buffy said.

"Oh," Dawn replied, smiling softly. "Yeah. You might be the Slayer, but I'm not sure anyone's able to resist Spike when he's trying to put the guilt-trip on."

"Yeah, I know," Buffy said, standing and walking to her closet. She pulled out four different outfits, laying each on the bed to look at them.

"What do you think?" she asked Dawn.

"Go for that blue one that's still in the closet," Dawn said. "It's hot. It'll make Spike drool."

"I'm not trying to make Spike drool," Buffy said, but she pulled out the dress anyway. Dawn was right: Spike would totally drool. It was dark blue, tight and short, but not slutty. Buffy slipped into the bathroom to put the dress on.

"Dawn? Will you come zip me up?" she called once she had pulled the dress over her head.

"I don't think she heard you, luv," Spike said from behind her. Buffy jumped, spinning around.

"Do you have to always do that?" she asked. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry, luv," he said sheepishly. "Thought you heard me walkin' down the hall."

"No, it's okay. You just spooked me," Buffy said. Her arms were crossed over her chest, holding her dress up.

"Uh, Spike? Would you mind?" she asked, turning around. Spike cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"Would I mind what?" he asked.

"Zipping me up," Buffy said. "I can't reach."

"Uh… sure," he said, stepping up to her. His fingers brushed her back, causing her to gasp quietly at his cold touch.

"Sorry," he murmured, catching the zipper pull between deft fingers. "Cold hands, y'know." He pulled up until the back of the dress was closed.

"Thanks," she said, turning back around. Spike's breath would have caught, had he breathed.

"What do you think?" she asked. He was at a loss for words."I'm not done yet, y'know, shoes and hair and stuff, but do you like the dress?"

"Luv, you could make a burlap bag look good," he said, finally finding his voice. "I-uh, I was just up here to tell you that sundown's in about fifteen minutes."

"Okay," she said. She noticed that he was dressed differently, in a fresh pair of jeans and a pale blue button-down over the perpetual black t-shirt. "Did you go home?"

"Nah, Glenda the good witch went over to my crypt and picked me up some stuff," he said. "She went out to get some blood. Nice bird, that one."

"I have a question," she said, grinning up at him. "Do you ever call anyone by their actual name?"

"Sure," he said. "I call Watcher Boy Rupes all the time." Buffy smiled broadly, laughing.

"But no one else, right?" she asked, still giggling. Spike was a little in awe of how gorgeous she was.

"'S what I do," he said. "Go, finish primpin'. Tell the Lil Bit to hurry up, too."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm goin'," Buffy said, walking back to her bedroom. Dawn whistled out a cat call when Buffy walked in.

"Nice," she said. "Did Spike drool?"

"How did you know-"

"I heard his boots," Dawn said. "That's why I didn't come to the bathroom."

"You're manipulative," Buffy said, brushing her hair.

"Yep," Dawn said. "Learned from the best. Can I borrow your red top?"

"Will you stop trying to hook me and Spike up?" Buffy asked.

"No, why would I do that?" Dawn held the shirt she wanted up to her chest and looked in the mirror. "You're my sister and he's practically my best friend. Well my best un-dead friend. I mean, he's my only un-dead friend, but you know what I mean."

"I'm trying, anyway," Buffy said, fastening a necklace behind her neck.

"What I'm saying is, you two are cute," Dawn said.

"Do not call us cute, Dawn," Buffy argued.

"But you are cute," Dawn argued back, pulling the red top over her head. "At least he's not freakishly tall like Angel and Riley. Gah. It always hurt my neck to look at them."

"Imagine trying to kiss them," Buffy said. "I had to practically stand on a chair." She stopped, eyes wide. "Not that I've been kissing Spike. There's been no kissing."

"Betcha he'd be good at it, though," Dawn said.

"Dawn!"

"What? I'm allowed to think that my friend is deliciously yummy-looking," Dawn said.

"Okay, you gotta stop that," Buffy said.

"Stop what?" Dawn asked.

"Putting words in my head to associate with Spike," Buffy said. "Now all night I'm gonna be thinking how 'yummy' he is."

"You _do_ notice that he's unbearably hot, right?" Dawn asked, turning towards her sister.

"I am female and I have eyes, Dawnie," Buffy said. She strapped a pair of silver sandals to her feet as Dawn slipped into a pair of boots.

"Okay, we gotta go, Spike came up here to tell us to hurry up," Buffy said.

"Oh yeah, wouldn't want to keep the boyfriend waiting," Dawn teased.

"You really gotta stop talking like that," Buffy said. "He's got vampire hearing, remember?"

"Oops," Dawn said, grimacing. "Totally didn't think of that."

"Yeah, didn't think you did," Buffy said, walking out of the room towards the stairs. Spike stood at the bottom of the stairs, smiling softly at something Willow was saying. Buffy was halfway down the stairs when he turned to look at her.

"Wow, Buffy," Willow murmured. "It's just the Bronze y'know, you didn't have to dress up that much."

"Dawn picked it out. And I felt like it," Buffy said with a shrug.

"Luv, you look…" Spike whispered, looking down at her. He smirked. "Well, _yummy_ seems to do the trick."

"Told you," Buffy said, turning to Dawn. She slapped Spike playfully on the arm. "I figured you'd be listening, Stalker-Boy."

"Be plain stupid not to use the skills I got, luv," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. The rest of the crew were busy getting their jackets together, so he leaned down, his cold skin barely brushing past her ear. "Wanna test out some of those skills? Y'know, stamina, agility an' all that."

"Maybe later," she said seductively, smirking back at him as he straightened. Spike's jaw dropped. She leaned towards him, her lips tickling _his_ ear. "Good to see I can still surprise you."

"Y'know, we don't have to go to the Bronze if you don' want to," he said, low enough so only she could hear. "If you want-"

"I'm all dressed up," Buffy said with a playful pout. Her friends and sister walked slowly out the door, waiting for the pair. "If I put this much effort into it, somebody better enjoy it."

"Trust me, someone's enjoyin' it," he murmured, slipping his hand to the side of her dress. The silk was nearly as soft as her skin. "Jus' not sure I want anyone _else_ enjoyin' it."

"Aw, if you're a good vampire, maybe I'll let you buy me a drink," Buffy said, spinning away from him towards the door. She flitted through the opening, leaving Spike standing by the stairs.

"Oi!" he yelled, darting after her. He made sure to shut the door after him, but he caught up to her easily. "_Maybe_ you'll let _me_ buy _you_ a drink? Girl, you'd be lucky if I let you buy one for me."

"Nope, I'm pretty sure you'd be the one getting lucky," Buffy quipped lightly. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide. "That came out wrong."

"Sure it did, pet," Spike smirked. "Tell me, did you ever take a psych class?"

"Yeah, why?" Buffy asked cautiously, falling back into step behind her friends. Dawn and Anya were talking animatedly while Willow and Tara quietly held hands behind them.

"Cause there's a guy named Freud who'd have a field day with you," he said, grinning down at her.

"Says the oral-fixating vamp with an Oedipus complex," Buffy said.

"Oedipus? What's he got to do with anything?"

"Means you hate your father and love your mother," Buffy said. "But, really, you hate Angel and love Drusilla, who was your demon-mother. By the way, ew at _that _mental image."

"I don' love her," Spike said quietly, not looking at her. "Haven't for awhile."

"Part of you will always love her, Spike," she said. "It's who you are." Impulsively, she reached for his hand. He let her hold it, squeezing her fingers in return.

"You would know," he said. "You'll always feel somethin' for Captains Cardboard and Forehead, right?"

"Yeah," she said, almost guiltily. "It's not the in-love kind of love anymore, but there's still something there."

"So you're not still pinin' for tall, dark and broody?"

"Who? Angel?" Buffy barked a laugh. "He- no. Definitely not pining for him anytime soon. I'm not a fan of Cordelia's leftovers."

"Beauty Queen and Peaches?" Spike asked, raising his eyebrows. "Didn't see that one comin'."

"Oh yeah," Buffy said. "He was so broody over her he barely had time to talk to me when we went to meet after I came back. I swear, if he loses his soul again and I have to kill him_ again_, I'm going to bust heads."

"Can I help?" he asked a little too eagerly. "Just Angel, if that makes you more comfortable."

"It would have to be Angel, cause you'd be _real_ effective fighting the _humans_, brain trust," Buffy sniped. "God, you're stupid sometimes."

"Oi," Spike said again. "I'll have you know I was in the top of my- bollocks."

"Top of your what, Spikey?" Buffy asked, smirking. "Oh, were you a little goody-goody back in the day?"

"Shut your trap, woman," Spike all but growled. "Big Bad here."

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots," Buffy said. She grinned up at him. "Goody two-shoes."

"Bint."

"Ass."

"Control freak."

"Pervert."

"Dumb li'l chit."

"Pig."

"Harlot."

"Prick."

"Bitch."

"Dick."

"Tease."

"Hey! I do not tease!" Buffy said, outraged. Spike raised an eyebrow at her, and she bristled slightly. "Well, maybe a little," she admitted. "But not enough for that to be a label!"

"Hey, dumb-ass blondes," Dawn called from the front door of the Bronze. "You two gonna stand out here calling each other names all night?"

"Where did she get that mouth on her?" Buffy asked, frowning.

"Uh- hmm, 've got no idea," Spike said, kicking a rock with his boot. Buffy whirled on him, glowering playfully.

"You did it!" she said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You taught her how to cuss!"

"Hey, I'm the resident evil guy, remember?" he reminded her again. _He sure does try to point out that he's evil a lot._ "'m supposed to corrupt the young and innocent."

"Corrupt?" Buffy echoed, eyebrows raised. "Exactly _what_ have you been doing with my _baby sister?"_

"Jus' teachin' her how to cuss, I swear," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "Well, and how to throw that right hook of hers. An' I may have given her a smoke or two, but the girl turned greener 'n a leaf."

"Bad influence," Buffy said, shaking her head. She sighed dramatically. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Hopefully things you can't tell t' members of the clergy," Spike said huskily, leaning towards her with his scarred eyebrow raised. "Things that'll make that pretty face blush."

"I'm pretty sure I could make _your_ pretty face blush, Spike," Buffy murmured, leaning up to tickle his ear with her breath.

"Doubt it," he said, forcing his voice to be calm. "Vampire, here. Not a lot of blood to blush with."

"Well, then, I'll just have to work extra hard, then, won't I?" Buffy smirked as she sauntered towards the door, swaying her hips purposely. Spike followed, reminding himself to close his mouth so he didn't trip on his jaw.

They stepped into the club, getting barraged by loud music, bright lights, and cigarette smoke as they did so. The Scooby girls were seated around a table near the dance floor, drinks in front of them. Dawn was sipping on a soda as she watched the dance floor with a vaguely interested eye.

"Thirsty, luv?" Spike asked.

"Sure, thanks," she said, walking over to the table as he turned towards the bar.

"So I told her, 'Only if you want to be a K'shashik!" Anya said, laughing raucously. Buffy looked to Willow and Tara, who shrugged. Buffy smiled with amusement at the ex vengeance demon.

"Where's Spike?" Dawn asked when Buffy slid into the chair next to her.

"Getting a drink," Buffy said.

"So, look at you two, gettin' with the flirty and adorableness," Willow said. "You two gonna-"

"Do I need to remind you about the vampire hearing thing, too?" Buffy asked. Spike strode up to the table, carrying two beers. He handed one to Buffy, who smiled up at him.

"We aren't going to have another 'Fire bad, tree pretty' moment, are we?" Dawn asked with a reproving look at the beer in Buffy's hand. Spike raised his scarred eyebrow at Buffy.

"Caveman beer," she said with a roll of her eyes. "It's a long story."

"Buffy plus alcohol equals stupidity," Dawn said.

"Knew that," Spike smirked. "Saw it first-hand."

"Bite me."

"Tempting offer, pet," he said, leaning over to brush his mouth past her ear. "You should watch your words around those with fangs." Buffy forced herself not to melt at the feeling of his cool breath on her neck.

"I want to go dance," Dawn announced, breaking Spike and Buffy apart. "Buffy?"

"In a minute," Buffy said. "I want to get my caveman goin'."

"You only have to say the word, pet," Spike said with a lascivious grin.

"Wrong kind of caveman, Bleach Boy," Buffy sniped.

"I'm basking in the maturity, you two," Dawn said as Willow, Tara, and Anya got to their feet. They girls slipped over to the dance floor, leaving Spike and Buffy at the table.

"So I was thinking-" Spike started.

"Thought I smelled smoke" Buffy said with a grin. Spike knocked his shoulder into hers and slipped his hand into his pocket. He pulled it back out, sliding a shiny black credit card onto the table.

"First checkbooks, now credit cards?" Buffy asked. "You actually offering to pay for your own drinks?"

"Course not," Spike said. "I picked some bloke's pocket for the drinks. I want you and Dawn to go shopping."

"You want us to huh?" she asked.

"The Bit needs new clothes, and I'm guessin' you do too," he said. "So, I want you to go shopping."

"No, Spike, I'm not going to take more of your money" Buffy said. Someone slapped her on the back of the head.

"Were you dropped on your head as a child?" Dawn asked, slipping between them to snatch the credit card from the table. "When a man gives you a credit card and tells you to go shopping, you go shopping!" She slipped the credit card into her pocket and leaned over to kiss Spike's cheek

"Thanks, Spike, we'll have fun," she said, darting back to the dance floors.

"She _does_ need some new clothes," Buffy admitted, sipping at her beer. "Thank you."

"Promise me you'll buy something for yourself?" Spike asked, turning his ice-blue eyes to hers. Buffy had to will herself not to melt right there.

"I'm sure I'll find something I can't live without," she conceded once she'd found her voice. He'd always said he was no good at thrall, but then why couldn't she think straight when he looked at her like that?

"Good," Spike said, downing the rest of his beer. They were silent for a long moment, each looking off towards the dance floor.

"Buffy-"

"Spike-"

They both broke off with embarrassed laughter. Buffy looked up to him, gesturing for him to continue.

"I didn't have anything to say," she said. "What were you going to say?"

"I, uh-" Spike stammered. "I was jus'- god, I'm such a ponce, I can't do this."

"Hey," she said softly, laying her hand on his. "Tell me."

"Will you dance with me?" he blurted out, immediately dropping his gaze to his lap.

"Yeah, okay"

"What?" he asked, his eyes darting back up to her. "Are you serious?"

"Am I serious, he asks," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "You asked me. We gonna dance or what?" Spike was a blur, jumping out of his char and taking her hand. They moved to the floor, away from the Scooby girls. Buffy let him pull her close to him, one hand on the small of her back. He caught her hand with his free one, and her free hand found its way to his bicep.

"I don't even remember the last time I danced like this, pet," Spike murmured into her ear.

"The last time we danced, you were holding a pool stick and we were in an alley," Buffy said.

"We were dancing then?" he asked with a raised brow.

"All we've ever done is dance," she said with a smile. Spike answered it with one of his own. The Scoobies had returned to the table and were watching the pair of bottle-blondes with amused smiles.

"I told you so," Anya said. "It won't be long now until they're tearing each others' clothes off with their teeth."

"Thanks for _that_ mental image," Dawn griped.

"Your girlfriends are staring," Spike commented as his thumb rubbed small circles on her back.

"I know," Buffy said.

"Figured you'd be kickin' me in the head and runnin' off once your friends saw," he said.

"Have I ever actually kicked you in the head?" she asked with a small smile.

"Once or twice, I think," he said. "But I think I kicked you back."

"God, we were good at that," Buffy said, almost wistfully. "You were always the most fun to fight."

"Likewise," Spike said, still holding her tightly to him. "I think we'd still be good at it."

"Too bad it's still Chips-Ahoy in your head, or I'd test it out," she said.

"I'd probably let you win now," he said. The music had sped up, making their current slow dance stand out.

"Why?" Buffy asked. Spike gave her his patented "Buffy, you're dumb" look and she understood.

"Oh, right, I forgot, you think I'm hot," she said cheekily, pulling away from him. He reached to pull her back, but she slipped out of his grasp.

"Or is it because I make you hot?" she asked, moving back to him. She turned so her back was to him, grinding her ass into his hips. He groaned instinctively, grabbing for her hips to ground her to him. She felt the growing bulge in his jeans as she arched into him, letting the back of her head rest against his chest. They writhed against each other, their hands daring to venture over each others' torsos.

"God, luv, do you realize what you do to me?" Spike purred, spinning her around to face him.

"I think I'm getting' the picture," she murmured as he pulled her hips closer to his. Her hips ground against his bulge, eliciting a deep groan from him.

"Buffy," he said, looking down at her. She tilted her head up towards his, their mouths a hair's breath away. All she had to do was stretch up on her toes and he'd be there.

"Buffy!" Dawn's voice rang over the music. Buffy and Spike broke apart, their attention diverting to where Dawn was. The youngest Summers was pointing towards the balcony, where two vamps in game face were busy trying to snack on a young woman.

"Time to go to work," Buffy said grumpily. "No more fun for Buffy."

"Plenty of fun to be had, pet," Spike said as they pushed through the crowd. He pulled a stake out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"So that _was_ a stake in your pocket," she said. "Here I thought you were just happy to see me." She grinned up at him. He rolled his eyes at her and looked up towards the balcony.

"Hey, gimme a boost?" she asked.

"Boost to what?"

"The balcony, duh," Buffy said. Judging the distance, Spike figured he could throw her that far. He offered his hands for her foot and launched her into the air. She caught the balcony railing easily and flipped over. Spike followed her up, using his vampire strength to jump to the upper level.

"Okay, that was really fun," Buffy said when Spike joined her. The two vamps turned towards them, growling. "Though I bet you guys aren't going to be havin' fun now, are you?"

"Oh you'll be the one who'll be screaming, girly," one of the vamps said. He snapped his fingers, and ten more vamps stepped out of the shadows.

"You got anything else in your pocket?" Buffy asked from the corner of her mouth.

"Nope," Spike answered. "But I can improvise." He picked up a wooden chair and smashed it over the railing, leaving him holding two legs. The vamp army charged, teeth bared. Spike shifted into game face as he slammed his makeshift stake through the first vamp's chest. Spike and Buffy moved together in a distorted image of the dance they'd had moments before. They were twin anchors, opposite faces of the same coin. Buffy used Spike's arm to anchor herself as she launched her legs at an attacker. Likewise, Spike flipped over Buffy's back, kicking viciously at a vamp's face.

Buffy staked the last vamp, sending him over the railing as he dusted. She leaned against the rail, catching her breath. Spike turned towards her, panting as well, though he didn't need to. His lip was split and there was a vicious tear through his shirt. Buffy could see the blood seeping from the wound. She had picked up her own handful of scratches and bruises as well.

"You okay?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," she answered. "You?" He answered with a nod.

"Jus' got a coupla' ribs need mendin'," he said. Buffy moved to his side, pressing gently on his ribs.

"Let me see," she said, tugging at his shirt. Spike caught her hands in his.

"I'm okay," he said. "C'mon, luv. You should get Dawn home. You girls have lots of shopping to do in the mornin'."

"Yeah," Buffy said, nodding as they made their way back downstairs. They walked back to the table where the girls sat.

"Time to go home?" Dawn asked. Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, I'm bleeding, I figured it was time to call it a night," she said with a small smile.

"We'll see you at home, okay?" Willow said. "We're going to stay here with Anya."

"Sure, Will," Buffy said. "'Night." She waited for Dawn to put on her jacket before following Spike to the door.

"I'll walk you home," he said once they were outside the club.

"You don't need to," Buffy said. "You're hurt, and I _am_ the Slayer."

"Buffy," Dawn cut in sharply, tugging on her sister's arm. "Let the guy walk us home!"

"I wasn't…" Buffy said. "I was just saying, he's hurt, he should go home and rest."

"He's tough," Dawn said. She danced ahead of them, leaving Buffy and Spike together. As they walked, their hands bumped against one another. Buffy opened her hand, subtly inviting Spike to take it. He got the message, loud and clear. They walked, holding hands, as Dawn skipped ahead.

Once they reached Revello Drive, Spike reluctantly released Buffy's hand. Dawn danced inside after giving him a quick good-night kiss on the cheek. Buffy stepped up onto the porch, looking back down at Spike.

"Thank you," she said. "For… everything."

"'M glad you let me help, luv," he said, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Well, I'm going to head up to bed," she said after a long moment.

"Yeah, sleep tight, luv," he said. Buffy nodded, stepping down from the porch towards him. Standing up on her toes, she leaned up and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Thank you again, Spike," she said. "Good night."

"Good night, Buffy."

-TBC-


	3. Chapter 3

Reviews are my drug of choice, and they make me give you more chapters, so gimme some love!

Same disclaimer as before. There's a bit of dialogue from s7 Touched. Spike's speech to Buffy in the house. I love love love that speech!

Adult content warning: There's a bit of smuttiness in this chapter, so if you're underage or not into that, dont go on!

-3-

Buffy walked through Restfield the next evening, stake in one hand, gift bag in the other. She hadn't come across any trouble all night, which meant she had probably been one step behind Spike the whole time. She came upon his crypt, half- expecting him to be lounging in the doorway, waiting for her. He was usually so good at sensing when she was near. Raising her hand to knock on the door, she pushed it open with a loud creak.

"Spike? Are you home?" she called, stepping into the darkened crypt. There was no answer. She walked around, glancing at a pile of books on the stone sarcophagus, and finding nothing. She turned towards the open trapdoor to the underground level and descended the ladder. All of the candles down here were lit, casting a cozy glow.

"Spike?" she tried again. Still no answer. Sighing, she set the gift bag on the bed and sat down.

"Now, do I stay and wait for him, which would totally make his ego unbearable, or do I leave, which would totally bore me to death?" she mused aloud. "Great job, Summers. Talking to yourself in a vampire's crypt. You're the picture of sanity."

"Picture of somethin', that's for sure," Spike's voice drawled from behind her. Buffy jumped up and spun around. He stood before her, wearing only a pair of jeans that were unbuttoned. He was toweling his hair dry, obviously having just taken a shower.

"Slime demon," he said, noticing her staring. She watched a single droplet fall from the tip of his ear, down onto his shoulder, to his chest, then all the way down those perfect abs into the waist of his jeans. Smirking, he threw the towel onto a chair and reached down to buckle his belt.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, pulling a t-shirt over his head. Buffy pouted slightly when that perfect torso was covered up.

"I brought back your credit card," she said. "I figured you would've come by to get it." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don' really need it back," he said, flopping down on the bed. He lounged back, hands behind his head.

"It's dangerous to leave a credit card with that high a limit in a house full of girls" she said, pulling the card out of her pocket and setting it on his stomach. "Me and Dawn could've bankrupted you by ourselves."

"Did you have fun, then?" he asked, playing with the card between two fingers.

"Tons," she said honestly. "It's been a long time since me and Dawnie hung out, just the two of us. I think I've been a really sucky sister lately."

"You've had a lot to deal with," Spike said, now playing with the string handles of the gift bag.

"And I told her about the heaven thing," she said.

"How'd she take that?" he asked, sitting up.

"It was hard," she answered. "Lots of crying. You bought her a new pair of shoes after that."

"Glad to be of help," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh! We got you a present!" she said suddenly, grabbing the gift bag and handing it to him.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head at her. She curled her legs underneath her, grinning.

"Dawn picked it out, so pretend you like it even if you don't," she said. Spike opened the bag and pulled out an emerald green button-down shirt.

"We thought it would be interesting with your eyes," she said. "And it's a nice change from the black."

"Tell the Bit I love it," he said, slipping the shirt on. "How's it look?"

"Good," she said, again with the honesty. She'd never really allowed herself to admire Spike's body, and now that she was, she could hardly stop staring.

"Luv?" he asked.

"Huh?" She hadn't realized he'd been asking a question.

"I said, was there something else you needed?" he asked.

"Not really," she said slowly, standing.

"What is it?" he asked, tilting his head again in his trademark manner. Buffy felt her face flush brightly.

"It's nothing, I'm being stupid," she said. "Just ignore me"

"Buffy," he said, forceful now. He beckoned for her to sit back down, turning toward her once she did. "Tell me, please."

"I just…" she trailed off. Spike laid his hand on her knee. "I can't sleep. All night last night, I kept seeing… I kept reliving everything that happened at Barney's. So, all night, every time I fell asleep, I woke up crying."

"Luv," he murmured, moving his hand to rest at the small of her back."You know you didn't do anything wrong. You were just doing what you had to do."

"I know, I just…" She blinked hard, trying not to cry. "I know I shouldn't feel guilty about what I had to do, I just feel… I don't know, dirty, maybe?"

"Buffy, luv, I want you to listen to me very carefully," Spike said, taking her hands in his. "And don' think 'm jus' sayin' this 'cos I love you. I have never seen anyone so full of light as you. Your sun is bright enough to burn, girl, and anyone who can't see that is blind.

"I've been alive a bit longer than you. And dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine. And 've done things I prefer you din't. I don' exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred-plus years. And there's only one thing I've ever been sure of. You.

"I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you. Or because I can't have you. It has nothin' to do with me. I love what you _are, _Buffy_._ What you do. How you try. I've seen your kindness, and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand, with perfect clarity, exactly what you are. You're a _hell_ of a woman. You're the One, Buffy."

"What if I don't want to be the One?" she asked, fully crying now. Spike reached a hand up to brush away a tear.

"Well, I don' wanna be this good-looking and athletic, but we all have our crosses to bear," he said with a strained smile. Buffy choked out a laugh, reaching up to wipe her face with the backs of her hands.

"Okay, if I hug you, are you gonna get all crazy-try-to-take-my-clothes-off on me?" she asked, sniffling.

"I'll try to hold back the crazy," he said, standing. He held out a hand to pull her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face to his chest firmly. He let his arms instinctively wrap around her body, pinning her to him.

"You're way too nice to me," she sniffled. "I'm always such a bitch to you."

"What can I say? I'm an idiot," he said, kissing the top of her head. Buffy chuckled, leaning back. She raised her hands to her eyes again, drying the tears she found there.

"The green really does look good on you," she said. Spike gave her his crooked smile and kissed her forehead.

"Did Dawn actually pick it out?" he asked.

"No, I just figured you'd say you liked it if you thought she picked it," she said, returning his smile.

"Don' remember the last time 'nyone bought me a present, luv," he said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said.

"Y'know…" Spike trailed off and released her.

"What do I know?" she asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Well, I was jus'-" He took a deep breath and tried again. His boyish insecurity was endearing to Buffy. "If you wanted… you could stay here… not that I'm askin', jus' sayin' if you wanted to…"

"Full sentences, please?" she asked, smiling up at him. He rolled his eyes but looked at her.

"You could sleep here," he said. "Not that 'm any kind of warm, cozy comfort, but I can keep the nightmares away."

"Guess that makes sense," Buffy said. "A man who's also a monster chasing away the boogey man under the bed."

"I make a good shoulder to cry on," he offered. "Do you want to stay here tonight?"

"You really don't have to put up with me if you don't want to," she said. "I'll probably get over it anyway."

"I'll help," he said. "C'mon, Slayer, get to bed." He turned to pull down the comforter on the bed and gestured for her to climb in.

"I- um, I don't have anything to sleep in," she said, gesturing to the tight jeans and sweater she was wearing.

"Oh, right, here," he said, turning to his dresser. He pulled out a t-shirt, black of course, and a pair of black boxers.

"Uh, no offense, but I'd feel weird wearing your boxers," she said, taking the t-shirt from him.

"They're not mine," he said, still holding them out to her.

"Ew! I'm not wearing someone _else's_ boxers! Gross, Spike!"

"Tha's not what I meant," he said, holding back laughter. "Daft chit Harmony bought 'em. I never wore 'em. Tag's still on 'em an' ev'rythin'."

"You _sure_ they've never been worn?" she asked.

"_Yes._ You gonna wear 'em or not?"

"Yeah, but for the record, I'm more than a bit wierded out by wearing something Harmony bought for you," she said, taking the boxers from him. Spike turned back to the dresser, pulling the pajama pants he'd worn at her house out.

"Thief," she said, eyeing the pants.

"You gave them to me," he pointed out.

"Temporarily," she countered.

"You were going to wear them after I had?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "You just had a cow about wearin' my boxers. What do you think I wore under these?"

"You don't…" she flushed a dark red. "Oh. No, I'd never… figured that out." She had been about to say that she'd never thought about what he'd worn under his jeans, but in truth she had, quite a few times, actually.

"Hmm," he murmured, smirking at her blush. He turned away, calling over his shoulder at her.

"Change and get in bed, luv," he said. "I'll go in the other room."

Buffy hurried to strip off her clothes, throwing the t-shirt on. Yanking the tag off, she stepped into the boxers and pulled them up her legs. How would Spike react, knowing she often didn't wear anything under her jeans, either? _He'd jump me so fast, my head would spin._ She tried not to think of that, cause hello? Vampire smelling-powers.

"You decent?" Spike called, making Buffy jump and dash over to the bed. She slid under the covers as he walked into the room, looking deliciously yummy in plaid pajama pants. Buffy was pretty sure no one had ever looked that good in a pair of pajamas.

Spike stood at the end of the bed, watching her curl up under the covers. There was no way he made his shirt look that good. And what was that fantastic smell? He tossed his clothes in a pile on the floor, slipping over to the bed. He slid under the covers, making her shiver slightly when he grazed her leg with his foot.

"Go to sleep, luv," he murmured, settling down on the pillow.

"So, I have a confession," Buffy said, turning over to face him. "Don't make fun of me."

Spike raised an eyebrow at her and propped himself up on his elbow. "What would this little confession of yours be, Slayer?"

"You won't use it against me?" she asked, drawing random designs on the comforter with one finger.

"'S far as I'm concerned, anything tha's said in a bedroom should stay there," he said, gazing at her. "Must be some dirty secret."

"Not really," she said. "It's just… when I sleep…"

"You gonna spit it out?" he prodded.

"I cuddle," she said, blushing. "That's why I've got so many pillows on my bed when it's just me."

"That's your deep dark secret?" Spike asked incredulously. "You're that embarrassed because you like to _snuggle?"_ He flopped back onto the pillow, laughing deep belly laughs.

"Shut up," she said, pouting. "You said you wouldn't make fun of me."

"No I din't, and I'm not," he said. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, okay, maybe a little bit."

"Jerk," she said, curling her legs up to her chest.

"C'mere, I'm sorry," he said, pulling her to him. "I won't tell anyone the big, bad Slayer likes to cuddle."

Buffy settled against his shoulder, resting one hand on his abdomen above his bellybutton.

"You'd better not," she said. "Or I'll tell them it was the big, bad vampire's idea for me to stay."

"Hush, you," he said, threading an arm around her shoulders. "Go to sleep."

"You first," she said drowsily. Spike started rubbing small circles on her arm with his thumb.

"Creature of the night, here," he said. "You need the sleep more than I do."

"Fine," she said, cuddling into his chest. She slipped her leg over his and rested her head over his not-beating heart.

"Sleep, kitten," he murmured, running a hand over her hair. Her eyes drifted shut and her breathing evened out. Once he thought she was asleep, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"I'm trying to change, you know," he murmured, covering her hand on his belly with his own. "I know I don't have a soul, and I know you can't love me, but I'm trying to be a good man for you."

"I don't need you to have a soul," she said sleepily, opening her eyes.

"You don't?" he asked. Buffy lifted her body off of his, sitting up and folding her legs underneath her.

"Okay, bear with me here," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm trying this new thing where I'm not all evasive and angsty, but it's hard. So just listen, and don't get angry."

"I'm listening," he said, sitting up as well. He leaned back against the headboard, his legs sprawled out under the covers in front of him.

"You…" she sighed deeply. "You're really weird, you know that?"

"You're testin' my patience, luv," he warned.

"Sorry," she said. "But really, you are kinda weird." She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Just hear me out," she said. "Angel-" he growled low in his throat, eyes turning yellow. "He, um… He was the only vampire I'd known who could love someone else. I thought it was because he had a soul, that was what made him different.

"For him, it was the soul. When he lost it, love was the farthest thing from his mind. Right next to guilt. Without that soul, he was pure evil.

"You don't have a soul. There shouldn't be anything good or clean in you." She reached up a hand to cup his jaw, her thumb stroking his cheek gently when his jaw tensed.

"There _shouldn't_ be anything good in you," she said again. "But for some reason, my theory being that you're weird, you are a good man. You adore my sister, and she loves you more than anyone. My mom liked you, when she absolutely hated Angel. You've gotten your ass kicked saving me and my family more times than I can count. And you're trying to change."

"All that started because of the chip," he said.

"You helped me before the chip," she pointed out. "And you could've left Sunnydale and gotten the chip removed. You could've threatened some brain surgeon to take it out for you." She looked deep into his eyes, one hand resting on his leg.

"The thing I can't figure out is why," she said. "What is it about you that makes you different? I mean, you were good at being the Big Bad, Slayer of Slayers and all that. But then, you tell me you love me, and you give that speech about me being the One and all of _that_. I don't understand how you can be both a good man and a master vampire."

"There's probably more of the poet left in me than I let on," he said, smiling at her.

"Maybe," she agreed. "Would it be weird for me to say that I'm glad you're here?" He shrugged. "I am, though. And I'm glad you're not evil anymore. I really didn't want to dust you."

"I din't want you to, either," he said. "But, luv, you've got to remember I am still the demon. He's still in here." He held a hand up, gesturing to his chest.

"Yeah, but William's in there, too," Buffy said, resting her hand over his heart. "And as much of a pansy as you make him out to be, he's stronger than your demon."

"You said you din't need the soul," he said. "Did you mean it?"

"If I needed the soul, I'd be with Angel," she said.

"Even with the no-sex thing?" Spike asked, eyebrow raised.

"Don't get me wrong, I like sex, a lot," she said. Spike smirked. "But I don't _need_ it. If I wanted either Angel or Riley, I'd be with them. I don't want Angel, and I don't want Riley."

"Who do you want?" he asked, almost cautiously. It was like he was afraid of the answer.

"Right now? I'm leanin' towards Spike," she said. "You… have been amazing since I've been back. Hell, you were amazing before, but being dead kinda opened my eyes a bit."

"I've gotta be honest, pet, I never saw this comin'," he said, taking her hands in his. "Then, the last coupla' days… after the money thing…"

"Don't you for one second think this is about the money," she said forcefully, moving to sit in between his outstretched legs. She took his face in her hands, making him look at her.

"I am so grateful to you for helping Dawn and me," she said. "I don't even want to think about what I'd be doing right now if you hadn't come to the club that night and gotten me to leave. But even before that, with the heaven thing and my fabulous job trials, you've been a really good friend to me. You were the one listening to me when I was screaming and my friends didn't notice. And since I've been back, other than being out with Dawn today, the only times I've really felt like myself again were when I was with you."

"So, what's your point, luv?" he asked.

"I like you, you big dummy," she said grinning. "It's not as strong as what you feel, but-"

"Yet," he said, matching her grin. Sometimes he was so easy to please.

"Right now," she agreed. "But Dawn kinda opened my eyes. She's psyched that we've been moving towards this."

"That so?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "And my friends, save for Xander, have been surprisingly supportive. Anya actually offered to give suggestions about lingerie if I was planning on sleeping with you."

"Crazy bird," Spike said, trying to hide his excitement at the prospect of making love to her.

"I told her you didn't seem like the lingerie type," she said, grinning slyly at him. "I figured you were more the kind that didn't like his girl wearing anything to bed."

"Dunno," he said, staring lecherously at her body clad in his clothes. "You're makin' my clothes look pretty damn good." Buffy blushed again, dropping her gaze to her lap.

"Buffy," he murmured huskily. When she didn't raise her head, he hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to his.

"I'm going to kiss you," he said, leaning forward.

"Okay," she whispered. Spike leaned up, pressing his lips to hers gently at first. One hand slipped to the small of her back, while the other knotted in her hair. Buffy shifted so she was straddling his lap without breaking the kiss, her hands wrapped around the back of his head. Spike's tongue darted out to taste her lips, begging entrance. Buffy allowed it, parting her lips to let him in.

Spike pulled away, panting, and pressed his forehead to hers. His hands rubbed up and down her back as she moved to press gentle kisses along his jaw and down his neck. She nibbled gently on the skin under his ear, forcing a deep moan from his throat.

"Come back here," he murmured, turning her head back towards him with one hand. He took her lower lip into his mouth, sucking gently on it while she fidgeted in his lap.

"Spike," she sighed into his mouth. He grinned broadly through their kiss. She was amazing, so beautiful and soft and warm. It was setting him on fire.

She pulled away suddenly, sliding off his lap and laying down next to him. Grabbing his shoulders, she pulled him so he was on top. He crashed his lips back down to her, grinning crazily into the kiss. He pulled away from her mouth, eliciting a pout until he dropped his lips to her throat.

"Oh my god, Spike," she moaned as he bit down gently on her neck. He dropped his hand down to her hip, pushing her shirt up slightly to caress the skin of her stomach. Buffy pushed her hips up, craving more contact.

"You're beau'iful, you know that, Slayer?" he murmured into her neck.

"Don't," she said. He pulled away, confused. She lifted a hand to his face, smiling softly.

"Forget that I'm the Slayer, and that you're a vampire right now," she said. "I'm just Buffy, and you're just Spike. I'm a girl who wants you, and you're a guy who wants me. Forget about everything else."

"Buffy, luv, I-" his voice broke off, and he ducked his head back to the column of her throat. Buffy wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back gently as he resumed kissing and sucking at her skin.

"Spike, will you-" she swallowed hard, her face burning with her blush. He lifted his head to look at her.

"Will you make love to me?" she asked shyly. He smiled sweetly at her, bending down to claim her lips once again with his.

"I told you all you had to do was ask," he said. Slowly, he pushed her shirt up over her belly. She lifted up, raising her arms to help him take the shirt off. She blushed once he'd gotten her shirt off, falling back onto the bed. Her arms came up of their own accord, trying to hide her now-bare breasts.

"Uh-uh," he said, taking her hands in his. "Those are mine now. No covering them up unless I say so." He kissed her deeply again, savoring her taste as he slowly brought a hand up to cup her breast. He trailed gentle kisses down from her jaw, making his way down to take a nipple into his mouth. Buffy moaned and arched up as he sucked and nibbled on her painfully hard nipple. She felt close to orgasm and he hadn't even touched her yet. God, he was good with his mouth.

"Spike," she moaned/whined. He grinned and turned his mouth to take the other breast between his teeth. His free hand barely brushed over her mound and she cried out in ecstasy, every muscle in her body tensing.

"Did you just…" he asked, looking up at her with a smirk. She was panting, coming down from her high. He let out a self-satisfied laugh.

"I knew I was good, but damn," he murmured, kissing her gently again. "I've barely touched you."

"Shut up," she panted. "I'm sure there are better ways to use that mouth of yours than to make fun of me because you made me come without touching me."

"Oh, I can think of a few things I could do," he said in that husky voice that made warmth pool between her thighs. He placed his hands on her hips, slipping them under the waistband of her boxers. She lifted her hips slightly, letting him pull the shorts down over her legs. He tossed them onto the floor once he'd gotten them off, moving back to her side. He took in her nude body, still all pink from her orgasm. He slipped down to the bottom of the bed, lifting one golden leg up. He placed gentle kisses up the inside of her leg, working up from ankle to thigh. He got within inches of her core, then dropped to kiss the other leg. Buffy whimpered and fidgeted, close to begging for him to stop this torture.

When he reached the apex of her thighs again, he pressed his hands to the inside of her knees, pushing her legs apart. His mouth watered and he grew impossibly hard at the sight of her gorgeous quim, wet and ready for him. With one gentle finger, he traced her moist folds, making her buck her hips. His finger slipped inside, eliciting a long moan from her lips. When he dipped his head towards her pussy, she gasped and gripped his shoulders.

"Spike!" she said. "You don't… you don't have to…"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked, curling the digit that was currently inside her. She cried out and shook her head at the same time.

"It's just.. I've never… no one's…" she panted.

"No one's ever tasted this beautiful cunny?" he asked, inserting another finger in her. She gasped and shook her head again.

"You asked me to make love to you," he reminded her, crawling up to kiss her. "I'm gonna do that, and part of makin' you feel good is me tastin' this quim." With one parting kiss to her lips, he slid back down her body, parting her legs even further.

She nearly screamed when he licked one long stroke against her slit. He pulled his fingers out of her, only to replace them with his lapping tongue. Buffy bucked and writhed when he took her swollen clit between his lips and replaced his fingers. Pumping in and out of her slowly, he felt her muscles clench and knew she was close. He flattened his tongue against her clit as his fingers found her g-spot, and she came with a scream. He lapped up her juices hungrily as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oh. My. God. Spike." She moaned between pants. With a grin that would have put the Cheshire Cat to shame, Spike crawled back up to kiss her neck, playing with one rosy nipple between his fingers.

"Liked it, did ya?" he drawled.

"Oh no, no ego there at all," she said sarcastically. His hand tried to move south again, but she caught it, pressing a kiss to the inside of his wrist. He tried to move his other hand down, but she caught it as well. He pouted and she leaned down, sucking the protruding lip into her mouth.

"Mm-mm," she said, shaking her head once she released his mouth. "It's my turn to play now."

"Wha-" he stammered. She bent her head, placing hot kisses over his collarbones and trailing down his perfect chest. She bit down gently on his nipple, causing him to groan and tangle his hands in her hair.

"You taste good," she murmured, venturing lower. She placed a gentle kiss just below his bellybutton before moving her hands to untie the string keeping his pants up. She licked and kissed over the defined cut lines of his hips as her hands pushed under the waistband of his pants.

"Lift." She ordered. He raised his hips off the bed, allowing her to slip his pants off over his butt. She pulled his pants off completely, throwing them on the floor by the bed. Her eyes widened when she looked back towards him in all his naked glory.

He had one leg straightened out in front of him and the other bent at the knee, foot resting on the bed. His head was propped up on his arms, and that sexy, annoying, gorgeous, infuriating smirk of his was securely plastered on his face.

"You're beautiful," she whispered, moving back to lie down beside him. She kissed him deeply as her hand made its way south. He gasped into her mouth when her warm hand wrapped around his hardened member.

"Buffy," he groaned as she started stroking him firmly. She kept kissing him as her hand pleasured him, wanting to give him as much pleasure as he had given her. He bucked into her hand when she gave him an especially firm squeeze. "I love you," he panted. Smiling gently, she kissed the hollow of his neck before moving down his body.

He almost came on the spot when she dropped her head to suck gently on the head of his member. She only took him a few inches into her mouth, but it was more than enough for Spike. Gripping her shoulders, he pulled her back up to him and kissed her firmly.

"Buffy, baby, I need-" he stammered, panting.

"C'mere, Spike, I want you inside of me," she murmured, pulling him so he was on top. He hadn't expected that from her; he'd guessed she would have been all about the control and power. But maybe her "I'm just a girl and you're just a guy" thing had something to do with it.

Spike kissed her again, positioning himself between her legs. He guided his cock into her waiting pussy gently, swallowing her moan of pleasure when he finally seated himself within her. He gave her a moment to get used to his size before beginning to move.

"Oh my god, Spike," she moaned. "Never… oh my god, you're so… Spike!" her words were incoherent, and they just spurred him on more.

"Love you," he whispered. "So bloody tight, baby. God, love this. Buffy, baby, luv, sweetheart…" His words were enough to send her over the edge, but she held back, clawing into his back with her nails. She wanted this to last a bit longer.

"Harder, baby, harder, please," she begged, lifting her legs to wrap around his waist to give him a better angle. He gripped her behind her knees, speeding up his thrusts to appease her begging. She was so close her legs were shaking. Spike felt her muscles clench, and he reached down and stroked her clit hard. She screamed his name as her orgasm hit, her inner muscles clamping down on him. He let out a feral roar as he followed her over the edge. His body spasmed and he collapsed down on top of her, his head nuzzled into her neck. He sucked gently over her pulse point, marking her neck with a hickey for tomorrow.

"Oh my god," she panted, reaching a hand up to run her fingers through his hair. Her other hand stroked his back gently as she lowered her legs from around his waist.

"I'm smashin' ya, luv," he murmured, moving so he was on his back and she was on top of him. Buffy slipped off of him, both of them moaning at the loss of contact. She settled down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She drew small circles over his chest with one finger.

"How are you?" he asked gently, looking down at her.

"A bit cold, actually," she answered, glancing up with a small smile. He quickly reached down, yanking the sheets back up to cover them more.

"Better?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

"Much, thank you," she answered quietly. She looked up again, green eyes catching blue ones. "How are you?" she asked.

"My god, Buffy," he whispered. The emotion in his eyes made her breath catch. "Do you… I don' think I've ever felt this good, baby."

"Me neither," she said, smiling broadly up at him. "Not to inflate your ego more than it already is, but I don't think I've ever had better than that."

"Damn straight, you haven't," he growled. "Let's just pretend you haven't ever had anyone besides me, okay? Or I'm gonna go find every wanker who's ever touched you and I'm gonna kill 'em."

"Aw, you're cute when you're all growly and jealous," she said, leaning up to kiss him. This kiss was slow and sensual, just them basking lazily in the feel and taste of each other. Buffy moved to straddle him without breaking the kiss and he sat up. He broke the kiss briefly so he could scoot back to lean against the headboard. She wrapped her legs around his waist, slowly lowering herself to his again-erect member.

They made love slowly this time, Spike holding Buffy close to his chest as they moved together. What were loud moans and screams before were sighs and whispers now. Their mouths found each other constantly so every part of their bodies was touching. They came together when he reached between them and stroked where they met, each other's name falling like a prayer from their lips.

"I love you," he said, still holding her to his body. His eyes searched her, looking for something in them.

"Spike," she sighed. "I'm not going to tell you that I love you. It wouldn't be fair to you if I said it but I didn't mean it. But you are in my heart."

"Wha's that mean?"

"It means…" She tried to word it carefully. "It means you're a part of me. I think you've effectively made yourself my best friend, and you've definitely made yourself necessary, in more ways than one. I can't imagine what I'd do if you left, and I don't want to find out, okay?"

"You've been tryin' to get me to leave for how long now?" he asked with a smile. "I've never left yet. 'M certainly not gon' go now that I'm here."

"Good," she said, squeezing him tighter. She squeezed him with _every_ muscle, making him groan deep in his throat.

"Le's go t'sleep, baby," he said, moving them so they were lying down. He was still sheathed within her, and she didn't move from on top of him. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand playing with the curls of his hair. He felt her heartbeat slow and her breaths even out as she fell asleep in his arms. He followed her soon after, a blissful smile on his face.

-TBC-


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer stands, as well as the adult content notice

-4-

Buffy woke up hours later still wrapped in Spike's arms. They were cuddled up, her head resting on his shoulder and one leg thrown across his. One definite benefit of sleeping with a vampire: no circulation to cut off.

"Good mornin', luv," Spike's husky voice said. Buffy turned her face up to look at him sleepily. His eyes were still closed, and she reached a hand up to brush an errant curl from his forehead.

"Good morning," she purred, reaching up to kiss him softly.

"Sleep well?" he asked, cupping her chin with his hand.

"Wonderfully," she said. "You? It's a bit early for you to be up, isn't it?"

"Eh, it's about noon or so," he said, rubbing gentle circles on her back with one hand. "And I had the best night's sleep of my life, so I'm good."

"Mm," she hummed, resting her head back down onto his chest. "I know I should go home, and my friends are probably freaking out about where I am right now. Is it bad that I can't make myself care enough about that to get out of bed?"

"Nope," he said. "If I had my way, you'd never get out of this bed."

"I think that if I had my way, I wouldn't either," she giggled, curling up even tighter to him. He placed a sweet kiss on the top of her head, eliciting another giggle.

"Big bad my ass," she said with a grin.

"Hey!" he growled. "I seem to recall you sayin' somethin' was almost _too_ big last night."

"Pig," she said, slapping him playfully on the chest. "That wasn't what I was talking about. And I don't remember those words ever coming out of my mouth."

"Maybe you just thought them loud enough for me to hear, then," he said, pulling her back up for another kiss. Now that he could, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to stop kissing her. She took his hand in hers, guiding it down under the covers to cup her sex.

"God, luv, you are amazing," he moaned. His fingers slipped inside her gently, and she mewled quietly in pleasure. When he pulled his fingers free, she crawled on top of him, impaling herself gently. They both let out a sigh of pleasure when she started to move, her hands pinning his shoulders to the bed. His hands reached up to touch her face, play with her nipples, and cup her ass. As she felt her release building, she started moving faster, rotating her hips slightly with each thrust.

"I love you," he murmured, and that did it. She moaned his name as she fell over the edge, and he followed her a moment later, spilling himself into her. She collapsed onto his chest, gasping for breath.

"So, what am I to you now?" he asked once her breathing had calmed and she lay sprawled out on his chest. He ran a hand through her hair as he waited for her answer.

"Like are you my boyfriend? My lover?" she asked without looking up at him. "Right now? I really have no idea. Do we need labels?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "But I gotta ask, luv. Are you gonna come back here if I let you leave? Or are you gonna pretend this never happened and go back to treatin' me like dirt? 'Cause if you, I don' think I could-"

"Hey," she said, quietly but firmly, finally looking up at him. "I don't regret this. This changed things, I know that. And no, I'm not going to go home and deny anything ever happened. I… have no idea what I'm doing here, Spike."

"Me neither," he admitted sheepishly.

"Okay then," Buffy conceded. "Let's just not know what the hell we're doing, and maybe eventually, we'll figure it out."

"Sounds like a plan," he said.

"Okay, I need to go home," she said, sliding out of his embrace and standing up. He climbed out of bed behind her, grabbing her around the waist.

"Not yet," he said huskily, thrusting his hips against her butt. She moaned quietly when she felt his hardness against her, letting her head fall back against his chest.

"Spike," she whined quietly, trying to step free of his grasp. He caught her again, and she stepped away again. He spun her around, backing her up into the wall hard.

"You can leave soon," he said. Gripping her thighs with bruising force, he lifted her up and smashed his mouth to hers. Buffy wound her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Her back hit the wall again as he pushed into her, gently though the rest of him was grasping her hard.

"Oh! Harder!" she cried, reaching for anything to give her some leverage. Spike slammed into her as she tried desperately to grasp anything. Holding her to him, he turned around and backed her up against one of the posts of his bed. Grabbing the post with both hands, Buffy met him thrust for thrust as they neared their climax. When Spike bit down hard on her neck with blunt, human teeth, Buffy literally saw stars as she exploded around him.

"Oh, god SPIKE!" she screamed as he found his release as well. She pulled his mouth to hers, devouring him as much as she could. They fell back together onto the bed, still kissing deeply. Spike's hand tried to drift down again on her body as he kissed her, but Buffy pulled away.

"No, we can't," she said between kisses. "I've gotta go home. My friends…"

"Sod your friends," he growled, leaning down to suck on her neck. Yet another hickey to go with the ones he gave her last night.

"No, Spike, c'mon, you promised," she protested, pulling him off her neck.

"I changed my mind," he growled.

"Dawn's gotta be worried," she said. He pulled away from her, frowning. "I didn't tell her where I was going."

He sighed and rolled off of her. "Are you gonna come back?" he asked.

"Why don't you come over later?" she asked. "Or I can meet you for patrol."

"Okay," he said as she climbed out of bed. He watched as she pulled on her jeans and yanked a t-shirt over her head. He didn't realize until she was pulling on her boots that it was _his_ t-shirt.

"Oi, girl, that's mine," he said.

"And now it's mine," she said with a grin. She stepped over to his side of the bed, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "You've stolen enough of my clothing," she said. "So I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyes drifting closed lazily. She kissed him languidly again, feeling him drift to sleep. He was nearly unconscious by the time she made it to the stairs. With an affectionate smile, she headed up into the daylight world.

When she opened the front door to her house, Buffy was immediately assaulted by Dawn, Willow and Tara. Dawn pulled her into a crushing hug, and not for the first time Buffy wondered if she had gotten some of that Slayer strength.

"Where the hell have you been?" her sister screeched, hugging her so hard Buffy started to worry about her ribs. "We've been so worried about you!"

"Sorry," Buffy said, coughing slightly when Dawn let go. She held in a laugh at their panicked faces. "I'd've called, but there wasn't a phone close." She tried to suppress her grin, but couldn't.

"Where were you?" Willow asked with a raised eyebrow. Buffy just grinned at her. Willow put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Don't make me pt the resolve face on," the redhead warned.

"No resolve face needed," Buffy said. "I was at Spike's."

"What?!" Dawn squealed. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Buffy's grin got impossibly wider.

"Judging by that grin, I'd say good things happened?" Willow asked.

"Very good things," Buffy answered, nodding. The three girls towed her to the living room, crowding around her on the couch.

"Details!" Dawn demanded. "What did you guys do?"

"I'm not giving details about what we did," Buffy said, blushing slightly.

"Oh my god!" D squealed. "You totally slept with him!"

"Several times, actually," Buffy said, not quite under her breath. Willow and Dawn squealed excitedly, while Tara looked on seriously.

"So are you guys dating?" Tara asked, frowning slightly.

"I dunno, we're together, if that's what you're asking," Buffy said slowly. "But we haven't had the Talk, y'know? Not really, anyway. There were things said… but no labels. I'm not calling him my boyfriend right now. And I'm not using him, or two-timing him. So I don't know what you'd call us. But he is coming over later."

"Oh my gosh, this is so great!" Dawn cried, hugging Buffy again. "I'm so happy for you!"

"You guys are all okay with this?" Buffy asked.

"He loves you," Tara said, shrugging. "Do you love him?"

"I wouldn't call it that yet," Buffy said, wincing slightly. "But there's some definite intense likeage goin' on."

"He makes you happy?" Willow asked.

"Yeah," Buffy said, blushing slightly. "I haven't felt this good in a long time."

"Then I'm good," Willow said. "I won't pretend to understand it, but if you're happy, I'm happy."

"Yeah, I don't get it either," Buffy said with a grin. "But he is really hot, so maybe that explains it."

"Love makes you do the wacky," Dawn said sagely. Buffy tried to suppress her grin again and failed.

"Okay, shower time for Buffy," she said. "And then I thought we could make cookies?"

"So, you want me to make then while you supervise and take all the credit?" Willow asked.

"Yep," Buffy said, standing. "You know me so well." She flitted up the stairs, humming quietly to herself.

Once she was all clean and bouncy, Buffy skipped downstairs and into the kitchen. Dawn had her textbooks spread out on the counter and Willow was combining cookie ingredients.

"So when Spike comes over, if you two aren't too busy boinking-" Dawn started.

"Hey, you, with the language," Buffy said sharply.

"Sorry," Dawn said. "So if you and Spike aren't too busy _playing checkers_, do you think he could help me study?"

"Playing checkers?" Buffy asked.

"Tara and I had to tell her something that time when Spike was boinking the Buffybot and we thought it was you."

"Oh, " Buffy said.

"Why does she get to say boinking and I don't?" Dawn asked indignantly.

"Because she's an adult and you're not," Buffy said, perching herself on the counter as Willow spooned cookie dough onto a baking sheet.

"So you're gonna yell again, but I'm going to ask anyway. How's Spike in bed?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn!" Buffy cried.

"I wanna know, too," Willow said, putting the cookie sheet into the oven.

"I'm not discussing this with you two," Buffy said.

"So, he's either bad or really, really good," Willow said, turning back to Buffy with her hands on her hips.

"Look, what happens between Spike and me in the bedroom is none of your business," Buffy said. "But for the record, he's very _not_ bad."

"Hah! Knew it," Dawn said as the doorbell rang. "Told you he was yummy." She stood and left the room to answer the door, leaving Willow and Buffy in the kitchen.

"So not bad?" Willow asked, eyebrows raised.

"Oh my _god_, Wills," Buffy said laughing. Willow laughed with her and perched up on the counter next to her.

"Nice," she said.

"Oh yeah," Buffy murmured as Dawn came back in the room, followed by Spike.

"Your boytoy's here," Dawn said, settling back into her chair. "And I've claimed him for at least an hour for study time."

"Is the sun down already?" Buffy asked, glancing at the window and ignoring Dawn.

"It's down enough," Spike said, stepping up to her. She opened her legs, letting him stand between her thighs. "There're enough shadows in your yard to prevent a dusty ending."

"Oh," she said, resting her hands on his hips.

"Are you baking?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We wanted cookies," Buffy answered. She hooked her bare feet around his legs, anchoring him to her.

"An' 'm guessin' that since the house isn't on fire, you're only here in a supervisory capacity?" he asked with a smirk. Willow and Dawn snorted in laughter.

"Hey!" Buffy said, slapping him on the chest gently. "Just for that, no delicious cookie goodness for you."

"Aw, don't be like that, luv," he murmured, pouting.

"You haven't even said hello to me yet," Buffy said, matching his pout. He grinned, leaning in close to her.

"Hello, luv," he purred.

"Hi," she answered, grinning as he leaned in to kiss her sweetly. Dawn started making retching sounds as Spike slipped his tongue into Buffy's mouth.

"Seriously!" Dawn cried. "Young, impressionable mind here getting grossed out by watching you two!"

"Then close your eyes," Spike suggested, breaking away from the kiss and resting his forehead on Buffy's.

"Really, get a room," Dawn said. Spike rolled his eyes, making Buffy giggle.

"C'mon," he said, taking Buffy's hand as she jumped down from the counter. He led her into the living room, away from the prying eyes of Willow and Dawn. Once safely alone, Spike smashed his lips back to Buffy's, taking her face in his hands.

"I missed you," he said between kisses.

"It's only been like two hours," she giggled. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Couldn't," he said. "An' it was far too long to be away from you. Years. Centuries."

"You're crazy," Buffy said, kissing him.

"It's 'cos you drive me mad," he said, dropping his lips to kiss one of the hickeys he'd given her last night and this morning. "I love you," he purred.

"I know, baby," Buffy said, moaning quietly as he hit a tender spot. The doorbell rang, making Spike growl in frustration. Buffy pulled away to answer the door.

"Ignore it," he growled, trying to kiss her again.

"Spike, stop," she said, playfully slapping at him. She turned to walk to the door, Spike hot on her heels, kissing the back of her neck and grabbing her hips.

"Baby, stop it," she ordered again, opening the door. Xander and Anya stood outside, an elated grin on Anya's face and a scowl on Xander's.

"I knew it," Anya said, flitting inside. Xander stood on the porch, watching silently as Anya circled the pair. Spike slipped an arm around Buffy's shoulders, and Buffy's arm snaked around his waist.

"Knew what, pet?" Spike asked as Anya scrutinized them both.

"You two have had lots of sex," Anya said. Buffy blushed vibrantly and cuddled closer to Spike's side. "Congratulations."

"Thanks?" Buffy said, laughing. Her eyes caught Xander's. He looked terribly sad, and it broke her heart.

"Babe, will you take Anya into the kitchen?" she asked, whispering in Spike's ear. "I need to talk to Xander."

"Sure, luv," Spike said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Call me if you need anything?"

"Of course," she said, smiling up at him. He squeezed her hand gently before he let go. Catching Anya's shoulders in the circle of his arm, he steered her to the kitchen.

"C'mon, crazy bird," he said. Once they had disappeared into the kitchen, Buffy turned back to Xander.

"You can come in if you're going to behave," she said. Xander looked at his shoes sheepishly and stepped inside. Buffy led him to the living room and sat down in a chair. Xander sat down stiffly across from her on the couch.

"Buffy , I'm sorry, he said. "It was just… how could you have-"

"How could I have what?" Buffy asked. "How could I have fallen for another vampire, or could I have worked as a stripper? Which one pisses you off more?"

"Buffy, I'm not…" he said. "I'm confused. Why didn't you ask us for help?"

"I did!" Buffy cried, standing up. "God, Xander, since I've been back, all I've been doing is asking for help! I've been drowning, and none of you even noticed! What choice did I have?"

"Okay, that explains the- the j-job thing," Xander stammered. "B-but what about Spike?"

"What about him?" Buffy asked hotly. She sat back down in the chair.

"Why are you…"

"I like him," she said. "A lot. I dunno, maybe I love him. I don't know."

"You're in love with him?" Xander squeaked.

"I said I don't know, Xander," Buffy said. "Look, I don't really want to talk about this with you. I haven't even discussed it with him yet." She sighed deeply. "I don't know what it is, but he's in my life. He's an important part of my life, and you are too. But if you can't or won't accept that I'm with him, then I'm sorry, Xander, but you won't be able to be a part of my life."

"So you'd just pick him over me?"

"Well, he hasn't called me a whore recently," she said, leaning back in her chair.

"Buffy, I didn't mean that, I was just-"

"You were just pissed that I went to him for help and not you," she interrupted. "You're mad that I'm picking _him_, a dead, soulless thing over you. You want to be my knight in shining armor, Xand, but I'm not a damsel in distress."

"Buffy, I'm your friend, I want you to be happy," he said.

"And he makes me happy!" Buffy said, standing up again. She moved to sit on the coffee table facing him.

"Xand, I've never felt as good as I did this morning when I woke up next to him," she said. Xander flinched slightly. "He loves me. All he wants is to take care of me, to see me happy. I think if I said that I needed to not be with him, he'd leave without a second thought. He loves me, Xander. I've never… no one's ever loved me like that, completely disregarding themselves. He would've jumped, had I asked him to. He'd have died in my place given the chance."

"I know," Xander said. "I just… I dunno. I think you could do better."

"I don't," Buffy said. "Xand, I'm sorry if it upsets you, but I've kinda stopped caring about other peoples' opinions. I'm going to do what I want to do."

"So my choice is either deal or leave?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Buffy said.

"Then I'll deal," he said "You're what matters, Buff. But if he hurts you, he's dust."

"He won't hurt me," she said confidently. "He loves me. And he's not really the kind that stops loving someone, y'know?"

"Yeah," Xander said, standing. "I hope he makes you happy." Buffy got to her feet too, wrapping her arms around his middle in a hug.

"He does," she said softly.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said into his chest. "But you might want to make peace with Dawn too."

"I will," he said. "Where is she?"

"Spike's helping her study for a history test," Buffy said, releasing him from her bruising hug. "They're in the kitchen." Xander followed her to the kitchen, where Willow was pulling the cookies out of the oven as Spike and Dawn studied. Anya was perched on the counter, where Buffy had been before.

"Warm chocolatey goodness for all once these are cooled," Willow said. Anya jumped off the couch and went to Xander's side. Buffy stepped up behind Spike, pressing a quick kiss to the back of his neck.

"How's the studying?" she asked as her arms wrapped around Spike's chest.

"I hate history," Dawn said sullenly. "Nothing good came from the 1800s."

"Hey!" Spike said.

"Oh, sorry," Dawn said sheepishly as Buffy giggled in his ear. "Though, technically, you're evil."

"She has a point," Buffy said, leaning down to rest her chin on his shoulder.

"Hush, you," he said, turning his head to kiss her temple.

"So am I going to have to kick your ass again, or have you fixed your attitude?" Dawn asked without looking up.

"Don't cuss," Buffy and Spike said at the same time.

"God, it's like having a second Mom and Dad," Dawn grumbled. She raised her eyes to look at Xander. "Well?"

"I'm sorry, Dawnie, I overreacted," Xander said.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," Dawn said. "You should be apologizing to Buffy and Spike. I hit you because you were being a dick to them."

"Dawn!" Buffy said sharply. "Watch your mouth." Dawn grumbled something under her breath.

"Don't think I din't hear that, Bit," Spike said. He turned to look at Buffy. "Do you think I can ground her?"

"I think you could try," Buffy said. "Do it, it'll be funny." Spike put on his best authority face and turned to Dawn.

"You're grounded."

"Bite me, Bleach Boy," Dawn said, grinning.

"Told ya," Buffy said. Spike growled low in his throat, reaching around to grab her by the waist. She squealed as he yanked her down into his lap and cinched his arms around her waist. Dawn made more retching sounds again, causing Buffy to look sideways at her.

"Problems?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at her sister.

"Nah, I just threw up a little in my mouth there," Dawn said with a grin.

"Jealous," Buffy retorted.

"Well, you stole my friend!" Dawn said in faux anger.

"He likes me more," Buffy said, sticking her tongue out at Dawn.

"As he should," Anya piped up. "You're the one giving him orgasms." Buffy's mind when blank. Willow, smiling at her friend's embarrassment, put the now-cooled cookies on a plate and set them down on the bar.

"Yeah, thanks for that," Spike said, smirking down at Buffy. "Especially that one where you were on your mmpffa." Buffy shoved a cookie in his mouth to silence him.

"Did anyone else just have déjà vu there?" Xander asked. "Remember the guilt-cookies after the engagement spell?"

"And then Buffy stuffed one in his mouth, yeah, I remember that," Willow laughed.

"The only way to get him to shut up is to stuff something in his mouth!" Buffy said defensively.

"An' yet, it doesn't stop _you _from talkin'," Spike said, loud enough for Buffy to hear, but Dawn caught the gist. Buffy shot him a warning glare.

"Okay, ground rules," Dawn said. "I don't want to hear or hear _about_ what goes on between you two freaks behind closed doors. And it better _only_ be happening behind _closed_ doors. Actually, that goes for all of you guys."

"What's that mean?" Anya asked.

"I think it means she wants you to stop talking about sex, Ahn," Xander said.

"Sex is a natural part of life, Dawn," Anya said condescendingly.

"Not for a fifteen-year-old, Anya," Willow reminded her.

"Not till you're thirty," Spike said, looking at Dawn.

"How pissed would you get if I said I'd already-" Dawn started.

"Finish that sentence and you're going to a convent," Buffy threatened.

"Nah, vamps like those," Spike said. "Send 'er to an all-girls military school."

"That wouldn't stop me from getting any," Willow commented. Dawn barked a laugh.

"Willow! You are not helping!" Buffy scolded.

"Sorry," Willow said, blushing slightly. "Dawnie, listen to Buffy."

"What about Spike?" Dawn asked. "Do I have to listen to him?"

"Of course not," Willow said with a grin at the vampire. "Just 'cause he and Buffy are screwing like bu-"

"And your talking privileges are revoked," Buffy said, flushing bright red.

"Wait, screwing like what?" Anya asked.

"Like bunnies," Dawn supplied helpfully.

"Bunnies?! Why bunnies?" Anya screeched.

"Excellent job, Dawn," Buffy said as Xander tried to soothe Anya. Her voice hit a particularly high note and Spike winced.

"Oh, look, sun's gone down," he said. "We should patrol."

"Yep, you're right," Buffy agreed, jumping to her feet. "I need to change."

"I'll help," Spike said, following her out of the room and up the stairs. They slipped into Buffy's bedroom and closed the door. Spike flopped down on her bed, looking up at her.

"We've still got a bit till dark," he said. "Jus' had to get out of there."

"Smart guy," Buffy said, lying down next to him. She propped herself up on one arm and looked down at him.

"Hi," she said. She grinned broadly.

"Hi," he said, matching her grin.

"I'm gonna kiss you now," she murmured. She leaned forward, her lips barely brushing over his. His arms came up around her, holding her to him as she pressed her lips to his harder. Buffy opened her mouth to let him in as her hands wandered lazy, brushing over his hair, rubbing his arms and chest, and cupping his jaw.

"I have something I need to tell you," she said, breaking the kiss. Spike frowned slightly, his brow furrowing.

"You look so serious," she said, brushing her thumb over his sharp cheek bone. "It's not bad news."

"I'm not worried," he said, but his eyes said differently.

"I think… I'm falling in love with you," she said quietly. She looked down shyly, waiting for his reaction. He was stunned into silence, so instead he grabbed her and pulled her to him for a deep, scorching kiss.

"I love you," he panted. His cerulean eyes searched hers desperately.

"Spike, I love you," she whispered, caressing his cheek. He kissed her roughly again and pulled back.

"Say it again," he begged.

"I love you," she said, giggling as he peppered kisses over her face.

"Buffy, luv, I need you," he begged, reaching down and caressing the skin of her bell. "Please, baby. Do we have time?"

"All the time in the world," she said as he pulled her top over her head. He stripped his shirt off and kicked off his boots. Buffy slipped her yoga pants down off her legs and reached for his belt.

"No knickers today, luv?" he asked huskily, leering down at her.

"Thought I'd surprise you," she said. She pushed him down onto his back and leaned over him. Kissing him quickly, she jumped out of bed and padded to the door. Flipping the lock closed, she turned back towards the bed.

"I don't want any interruptions," she purred. She laid back down next to him, pressing wet kisses over his marble chest. Her hand unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. He gasped when she took his cock in her hand. She slid her fist over him gently while keeping firm pressure. When she dropped her head down to take him in her mouth, he moaned loudly and bucked his hips. She used one hand to stroke him while she sucked and turned the other hand back to her own body. Spike almost lost it when he saw her, playing with her nipples and dropping her hand down to caress her clit.

"Oh my god, Buffy," he moaned. She released him from her mouth with a wet plot, looking up at him expectantly.

"Yes, baby?" she asked.

"Come here," he demanded. She crawled back up his body, rubbing her sodden center over his member as she did so. He reached a hand up to cup her breast and guided himself into her. She sank against him with a satisfied moan. She started to move on him, bracing herself with her hands on his shoulders.

"You feel so good," she moaned. Spike's hands were everywhere, playing with her nipples, caressing her back, groping her ass, touching her face, and winding through her hair. When he started rubbing her clit, her body went into sensory overload, triggering one of the most powerful orgasms of her life. Spike leaned up and kissed her as she tumbled over the edge, swallowing her moans.

"I love you," she whispered, and her words triggered his release as well. He spilled himself into her, collapsing back on the pillow. Buffy lay bonelessly on top of him, one hand lazily playing with his hair.

"Oh my god, Buffy," Spike murmured, rubbing her back.

"Mm, now I'm too tired to patrol," she giggled. "How 'bout you?"

"'Ve still got some strength left," he said. "'M jus' not sure I ever wan' ge' outta this bed."

"Me neither," Buffy agreed. She snuggled closer to him. "You're comfy."

"Comfy?" he asked. "Couldn' 've picked a be'er word, Slayer?"

"Nope," she said. "I like how your accent gets thick when you're all tired and sated."

"You make m' so," he drawled. He pulled her up so her head was resting under his chin, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Like I said, you're comfy," she said, wiggling around to find the perfect position. "I kinda want to sleep next to you forever."

"Could be arranged," he murmured. Buffy sat up slightly, looking him in the eye.

"You'd want to be with me forever?" she asked.

"Till the end of the world," he said soberly. "Are you sayin' you wouldn'?"

"I just didn't think you'd want me forever," she said. The little, insecure voice in her head was telling her that no one would ever want to be with her for an eternity.

"Buffy, 'm no' the type that does this kind of thing by halves," he said.

"I know," she said. "I'm just…"

"I'm not going to leave you unless you ask me to," he said softly, gazing into her eyes. "An' now that I've got you in my arms-" he tightened his arms around her "-now that 've kissed this mouth-" his lips pressed to hers gently "-now that 've-" his hand snaked between her legs.

"Dirty," she giggled.

"An' you love it," he purred. "Buffy, luv, what 'm sayin' is, 'm not gon' leave you, at leas' not withou' one hell of a fight."

"Good, 'cause I'm not going to give you up without a fight," she said.

"So…" He was wondering where this put them. She said she loved him, and she wasn't hiding their relationship, but she still wasn't calling him her boyfriend.

"So I was kinda wondering…"

"What's that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You're always going on about how we're a match," she said. "Birds of a feather, opposite sides of the same coin and all that. And we are. You're my match in pretty much everything. So I was wondering…" Her voice broke with something that felt like fear.

"Buffy, baby, tell me," he asked.

"What if you were my mate?" He gaped at her.

"Luv, are you asking…"

"What if I claimed you?" she asked. "I'm yours, forever, so I want you to be mine."

"'Ve always been yours, Buffy." His mind was having trouble catching up. "Luv, do you know what you're asking?"

"We don't have to do it now," she said quickly. "Or at all, if you don't-" He cut her off with a hand covering her mouth.

"I will always want you," he said slowly. "I want to make that very clear. A hundred years I've been around, luv. I've seen all there is to see. I know what's out there. But you don't. You could wake up tomorrow, go to the store an' meet some-"

"I don't want anyone else," she said, interrupting.

"Now, luv, tha's my point," he said. "You… you're young, Buffy. An' the men you've loved-"

"Don't think about them," she said, frowning. "They're in the past. They don't matter now. I don't want them, nor will I want them ever again. I want _you_. I want to fight with you, and next to you, and I want to make up with you over and over again. I want to go to sleep next to you and wake up wrapped in your arms. I want to kiss you whenever I feel like it, and I want to see the way your eyes get dark and your nose flares when I whisper something dirty in your ear. I want to be with you, Spike, in every way that I can be.

"And… if you don't want to do the claim, because there's some stupid, insecure little voice in your head telling you that this can't possibly be real, that I can't possibly be here, really telling you this, then I understand. 'Cause there's this voice in _my_ head that's saying that no one would ever want to be with me forever, that if you do claim me, you'll regret it and want to leave. Trust me, Spike, I know what it's like to be Love's Bitch, I just never flaunted it like you did."

"So you're really…" His forehead scrunched in thought. "You really want…"

"I want you, in whatever way I can get you," she said. He sat up, cradling her in his lap, and looked at her with tears in his eyes.

"'Ve never… no one's ever…"

"You've never had anyone treat you the way you should be treated," she said. "I know, I'm the biggest one. I'm going to work so hard to fix that, baby. I'm going to make it right. I want to make you happy, Spike."

"Dunno if I even know what that entails," he said, looking down. She took one of his hands in hers and smiled broadly.

"It means that I do this in public," she said, kissing him deeply. When she pulled away, she grinned again. "And it means you get fun girlfriend-y things like backrubs. And fun bedroom-y things."

"Backrubs, eh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She laughed and swatted playfully at his chest. Then her face softened into something like sadness.

"We could just say the words," she said. "I just… God, I just want you to understand what you mean to me, Spike."

"You just said all you'll ever need to say," he murmured, kissing her forehead. "I love you more than anything, Buffy. I'm not gonna lie to you and say I haven't thought about claiming you a thousand times, 'cause I have. I've dreamt about it. There's nothin' more that I'd want in the world that to have you be mine."

He inhaled a big unneeded breath and released it slowly. "If… if you're sure you're sure this is what you want, then let's do it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said, grinning at her.

"Okay, so how do we go about doing this? I mean, do you just… or do I… and is it going to hurt? I don't want to hurt you, and if this is going to…"

"Baby, you're babbling," Spike pointed out. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, cupping her chin with his hands.

"Well, I don't know what to do," she said.

"I do, luv, don't worry," he said.

"You've…" Her eyes filled with unspoken anxiety.

"No, Buffy, I've never been claimed, nor have I claimed anyone," he said, reading her mind. "'S jus' one of those lessons a vamp gets, like the Slayer talk. Angelus told me sometime before my first Slayer."

"Did you want to claim Drusilla?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"She never would let me even bring up the subject," he said. "She was never mine, luv. Not like this, not like with you. An' what was it you said? She's in the past. She doesn't matter now. _You_ matter, Buffy." God, she was never going to get over just the way he said her name.

"Okay," she murmured, melting as he played idly with her hair. "So let's do this." He chuckled deeply.

"'S not really something you just do, luv," he said, looking at he affectionately.

"Oh," she said. "Well, then how does it work?"

"You've got to do it during a love act," he said.

"So, more sex?" She grinned. His hands dropped to her waist, pulling her to him as he sat up. He tugged her onto his lap, his erection pressing against her urgently.

"So, I make love to you," he said, fondling her breasts with his hands. He dropped his mouth to kiss her jaw and throat.

"Okay, then what?" she asked breathlessly.

"Then we have to exchange blood," he said quietly. He looked up at her with something akin to fear in his eyes. "I have to bite you, then you bite me."

"I'll try not to hurt you," she joked, grinning wickedly in an attempt to assuage his fears. She kissed his lips gently as her hand slipped down to stroke his arousal.

"I love you," she murmured. She lifted her hips, guiding him into her.

"I love you so much," he said as she sank down onto him. She whimpered as she started to move, dropping her head down onto his shoulder. Spike reached up and cupped her chin. Lifting her face to his, he kissed her sweetly.

"I wan' t' look at you," he murmured huskily as his hands traveled over her body, lavishing her with attention.

"I love you so much, Spike," she said as she neared her climax. "I love you, baby. Make me yours, please."

"I love you, forever," he said, slipping into game face. His fangs sliced into her throat, triggering one hell of an orgasm for her. "You're mine, Buffy. No one else's. Mine."

"Yours, all yours, Spike," she cried. She dropped her mouth to his neck, biting down hard over Drusilla's sire mark. "You're mine, baby. Mine. Always."

"Yours, Buffy," Spike panted as he found his release as well. Buffy came again as he spilled himself in her, collapsing against him.

"Oh my god," she panted. She laved her already-healing bite to his neck with her mouth as he suckled and kissed the mark on her neck.

"'M not sure god has 'nything to do with it," Spike drawled. Buffy giggled into his chest, holding him tightly.

"You're amazing," she said, stretching up to kiss him.

"Damn straight I am," he said. Buffy climbed off of him, finding a pair of jeans and tugging them on.

"Goin' somewhere, luv?"

"We're going patrolling," she said, tossing his jeans at him. She grinned teasingly at him. "See, I've got this shiny new mate, and I wanna see what patrolling with him is like. Maybe he won't be able to hack it."

"Bite me," he growled, pulling on his jeans.

"Eh, been there, done that," she said. He growled deeply, grabbing her.

"Tell me you love me," he demanded.

"I love you," she said seriously. "You know I do."

"Tell me you want me," he begged.

"I always want you," she said. She smirked at him. "In point of fact-"

"Shut up," he said, pulling her to him for a quick kiss. "Let's go patrol an' get it over with, so I can have you back in bed."

-Epilogue to follow-


	5. Epilogue

Here's the end, folks. Thanks so much to all who read and reviewed! This is basically just some parting fluff, so let it put a smile on your face!

~Kitten

* * *

-Epilogue-

Dawn woke up early the next morning, remnants of a dream niggling at her brain. Buffy and Spike had gotten married. She was the Best Man and the Maid of Honor. Giggling, she went to Buffy's room to tell her about the dream.

She'd forgotten about the whole Buffy-and-Spike-are-together thing until she opened Buffy's bedroom door and saw them lying together, wrapped up in each other's arms. Smiling broadly, Dawn went to shut the door when she saw the twin bite marks on their necks. Brow wrinkled in confusion, she backed out of the room and shut the door quietly.

Dawn padded downstairs to the kitchen, where Willow and Tara were leaning against the counter chatting quietly with Giles, who had just gotten home from a buying trip for the Magic Box.

"So I hear there have been some drastic developments in my absence," Giles said to Dawn, pouring her a glass of orange juice before removing his glasses to clean them.

"Well, hold on to your knickers, 'cause it's about to get way more drastic," Dawn said, picking up an apple and taking a big bite. "What's it mean when, say, a vampire bites a human, and the human bites back? When they're in a relationship?"

"Oh dear lord," Giles said, removing his glasses again and cleaning them once more.

"What? What's it mean?" Willow asked.

"You're saying that Buffy and Spike have-" Dawn nodded. "My word."

"Giles, make with the talky," Willow said.

"Well, i-i-if-f they've actually- I mean to say, if they've really-" he stammered. "It would appear that they've claimed each other." The girls' faces were blank. Rolling his eyes, Giles continued. "It's an old vampire ritual. More permanent than marriage, and eternal." A long beat of silence followed his speech.

"Wow," Willow breathed. "So they're… married."

"In a matter of speaking, yes," Giles said. Dawn burst into laughter.

"Awesome," she laughed. Low thuds and bed springs squeaking signaled that the newlyweds were awake. "I've always wanted a brother."

End.


End file.
